Fighting For His Freedom
by lilsnape
Summary: What happened when Severus and Draco escaped from Hogwarts? Events are set in motion that will either save Severus or get him killed. A nosy Gryffindor finds something that leads her on an adventure she never dreamed possible. No Slash. HBP compliant SSHG
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Summary: This is a response to the fanfiction challenge at Third Floor Corridor. What happened when Severus and Draco escaped from Hogwarts? Events are set in motion that will either save Severus or get him killed. No Slash. HBP compliant.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

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Fighting For His Freedom

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They had apparated so quickly he hadn't had time to really know what was going on. His eyes widened in shock as he saw where he was. They were in, what he assumed to be, a muggle neighborhood. Draco turned to his professor and was about to make a rude comment when he realized the man beside him looked very uneasy. Draco had never seen Severus Snape show any emotions other than cold indifference or anger.

Severus was thinking about what had transpired and knew his life was over. No one would forgive him for killing Albus Dumbledore and he deserved that, he told himself. Tucking his wand into his pocket he quickly took off his robe and told Draco to do the same.

Once Draco had complied he asked where they were. "My home," Severus replied. "Come," he said as he started to walk quickly down the street.

Draco really was in shock now. Severus lived in a muggle house. He was starting to wonder about the man beside him. Draco noticed "the look" was back on his face and that he shouldn't ask something too stupid before they reached their destination.

Walking up to a small house Severus pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Draco really didn't know what to think now. _He lives in a hole_! "_You _live _here_?" he asked in shock. Severus glared at Draco before he looked out the window.

"Yes," was his terse reply. Satisfied no one was around he turned to Draco. "I truly am sorry this isn't as lavish as Malfoy Manor," he hissed in a mock apology.

"Hmph," Draco replied, folding his arms and sinking angrily into the couch.

Severus ignored him and strode into the kitchen to pour his self a stiff drink. Drinking it in one unsteady gulp he poured another before dealing with the ungrateful brat sulking in his living room. The first drink took the edge off a little; _enough to deal with Draco_, he thought as he walked back to the living room.

Settling into his favorite chair he simply looked at Draco who was glaring at him. "A temper-tantrum is unbecoming of someone your age," Severus stated.

"Why did you do it?" Draco asked avoiding Severus's eyes.

"Does it matter? What's done is done." Severus took a sip of his drink as he awaited Draco's reaction.

"Well, it…"

"You could not do it Draco. I had to do it to save us both."

"It didn't save you, did it?"

Sighing heavily Severus replied, "From the Dark Lord it did."

"You hope," Draco said bravely.

_Little bugger is too smart for his own good_, Severus thought.

"They will flay you alive for it," Draco continued.

Severus gave Draco a dark look. "I know what will happen to me because of it you little shit!"

Draco was about to respond when there was a knock on the door. Severus rose quickly from his chair and walked to the door. He opened it slightly and Draco couldn't hear the hushed conversation. Severus opened the door just enough to let the visitor in. Once the door was closed the hooded guest took off their hood.

Draco jumped up and ran straight into his mother's opened arms. He clung to her and she ran a trembling hand through her son's hair. Narcissa gave Severus a grateful look over Draco's shoulder. He simply nodded and walked away to start a fire.

Draco pulled away from his mother, looked down in shame said, "Mum, I just couldn't do it."

Narcissa took his chin in her hand and made him look her in the eyes. "It's alright son; you shouldn't have been given such a task." She checked her boy over to see if he was injured.

"What happened?" she asked as she guided him to the couch.

"The headmaster knew I couldn't do it. He told me he knew and that I was better than that. Then Professor Snape stormed in and he….he killed him," Draco finished in a whisper.

Narcissa gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, looking at Severus with wide eyes. "Oh Severus," she said sadly. Narcissa was one of the few people who knew Severus well. The old headmaster had come to mean something to Severus and she knew it must be tearing him up inside. She stood and crossed the room to her friend, who was leaning against the mantle staring contemplatively into the fire. She pulled him into a hug he didn't return.

Draco looked on shellshocked as his mother embraced his professor. Draco was surprised Severus didn't push her away and was glad that he didn't return the gesture. He didn't really respect his father right now but it made him slightly angry to see his mother embracing another man. He watched as Severus laid his chin on Narcissa's head. His eyes were closed and Draco could see the agonizing look on the man's face. From afar he could hear his mother whisper, "I'm so sorry Severus." When he didn't respond she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Thank you for saving Draco from this. I know this will not make your life any easier but know that Draco and I will help you as much as we can. "

"My life has never been easy Narcissa," Severus said seriously.

"What happens now?" Draco interrupted.

"You and your mother will go into hiding," Severus replied as he walked away from Narcissa. Severus looked back to see two sets of eyes looking at him in shock.

"We can't!" Narcissa exclaimed.

"You will," Severus said sternly. "Draco _will_ be punished because of his failure. You know this Narcissa; even you will be punished. You must be gone before I am summoned."

"Where will we go?" Draco asked. He knew his professor was right. The man in front of him was going to be punished anyways and he didn't want to be responsible for more pain he would possibly sustain.

"You two will have to travel with limited use of magic and stay away from the magical world as much as possible."

The two Malfoy's didn't like that idea one bit but knew they had to do it. "You must take on new identities and change your appearances."

"Whatever you say Severus," Narcissa said.

"Good. Now, I need you both to seal that in an Unbreakable Vow." Severus knew he was asking a lot but Narcissa owed him big time and if things worked out they would end up saving him.

"Very well, Draco go ahead," Narcissa said giving him a nod.

Draco gave one look to his mother before walking up to Severus. He took Severus's hands and Narcissa pulled out her wand; waiting for Severus to begin.

"Draco, do you swear to remain away from the wizarding world until I give you the signal to return?" Severus asked looking at him in the eyes.

"I will," he replied as his mother waved her wand over them.

"Will you promise to remain incognito until I give you the signal?"

"I will." Narcissa waved her wand again.

Severus released Draco's hands, who switched placed with his mother. Severus asked Narcissa the same two questions. She was about to stand up when Severus squeezed her hands, stilling her. "Draco put a silencing charm over us." Severus said staring straight into Narcissa's eyes.

Draco looked at her; she simply nodded her head. Draco cast the charm and watched silently as Severus spoke to Narcissa. He desperately wanted to read Severus's lips but didn't; he felt he at least owed privacy to the man who saved him from becoming a murderer. Draco saw his mother's eyes widen and her mouth drop open. For a long moment Narcissa gazed at Severus before saying those two words.

Draco waved his wand over their hands. Severus asked another question and Narcissa replied immediately. Draco waved his wand again then removed the charm. Severus stood and walked into his bedroom. Narcissa followed, wanting to speak with Severus about the vow. The door closed in Draco's face and he heard his mother throw up a silencing charm angrily. Whatever the two were discussing it wasn't meant for him to hear. It didn't matter; he would get the necessary information from his mother in time.

Twenty minutes later Narcissa rushed out of Severus's room. "We must leave now Draco!" Draco followed his mother and saw Severus stride out of his room with his robe on and a mask in his hand. Draco knew they were leaving and that Severus was being summoned. Narcissa looked out the window cautiously before closing the curtains shut. "It looks clear," she said looking at Severus.

He opened the door and let Draco and Narcissa exit before he locked the door. The trio walked down the street before crossing and going into a wooded area. Narcissa looked at Severus and said, "Stay safe." He simply nodded his head and replied, "Don't fail me Narcissa. My life depends on it." Before she could say anything else he apparated away.

Draco just looked at his mother as she pulled out an old sock from her pocket. Draco took hold of it and in thirty seconds they were whisked away.

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This is a one-shot but if there is interest I will continue it. I wrote it so that I could write more but I won't do it unless people review and ask for it to go on. Let me know what you think either way. Thanks!


	2. Finding A Letter

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Summary: This is a response to the fanfiction challenge at Third Floor Corridor. What happened when Severus and Draco escaped from Hogwarts? Events are set in motion that will either save Severus or get him killed. A nosy Gryffindor finds something that leads her on an adventure she never dreamed possible. No Slash. HBP compliant. Will be SS/HG.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

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Chapter 2

Finding a Letter

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Hermione walked silently through the empty halls of Hogwarts contemplating the events of the previous week. She had not left, deciding to stay back and help the new Headmistress. Minerva McGonagall was in dire need of help to get the castle fixed up and try to figure out how she was going to convince parents to let their children return to the school.

Hermione didn't quite know how to react, or feel, about the events that had unfolded so quickly. What happened had quite literally thrown everyone for a loop. Harry could not get over the fact that Severus Snape had killed Albus Dumbledore. It seemed he had a vendetta against him now, and Hermione did not want to be there when the two met again. It was going to be horrible.

Harry had left to go to Privet Drive to renew the blood protection on him. Ron had gone with him to stay a few weeks. It was safer that way.

Hermione's legs had brought her to the Headmistress' office. She was currently gone on a trip to Hogsmeade. Hermione started walking around the room not really knowing what she was doing or what she could be looking for. She gazed at the portraits of the past Headmaster and Headmistresses. Most of them were asleep, but one was still awake.

Phineas Nigellus Black was wide awake and glaring. He was seated in a regal looking chair, with silver snakes carved into the wood. Hermione took a moment to gaze up at him, before he got aggravated, glared at her, and said "I know you aren't staring at me because of my looks."

She wanted to laugh but this was the great-great-grandfather of Harry's godfather. Plus, she was always one to respect an elder, even if he was long dead and gone. "Well, I'm not really sure why I'm up here, but, I'm looking for some information. Perhaps you would be kind enough to help me."

"Ha, help a Gryffindor? I think not." He was about to tell her to sod off, but there was something in the back of his head telling him he should help her.

Phineas had known what was going to happen in the tower that night. Albus had talked to him and the other portraits about what was going on in the wizarding world. The others had not been much help; it was a poor design in the making of their portraits. Usually they could only say catchphrases, but Phineas had been in possession of a Dark Arts book that allowed him to retain some bit of his intelligence. It was a good thing he did too, because Albus had come to him more than once asking for advice. It made the other portraits a tad jealous and he reveled in that fact.

No, there was something special about this one. Perhaps she was the one to help his snake out. "I hope you aren't the type of adolescent that is self-absorbed and uninformed. It would be a pity if another individual jumped to conclusions about a certain individual."

Hermione didn't quite know what to make of this comment. Phineas Black was never one to really talk to students and if he did he never really seemed nice. "I certainly hope I'm not uninformed. As far as self-absorbed…I'm no Slytherin, sir," she said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring back at the previous Headmaster.

Phineas liked her spunk and she didn't seem too ignorant. Well, perhaps she would be the one to help. He particularly liked the "I'm no Slytherin" comment. If he had been alive he might have chuckled. "Well, I suppose I could give you a bit of information." He glanced over at a small shelf full of odd objects and pictures. It was packed to the brim; some objects looked like they were just centimeters away from falling off. The dust was probably the only thing keeping them on the shelf. They looked like they hadn't been touched in ages.

Hermione followed his gaze and looked inquisitively at the shelf. She looked up at Phineas to see him still gazing at it. _Something of importance must be there_, she thought. Walking over there carefully, she looked back quickly to see him still staring at the shelf. She didn't want to touch anything, so she stood on her toes to get a better look at some of the objects. On the shelf were mostly gadgets and Muggle items that were of no real use. Sporadically strewn among the objects were pictures. There were small pictures, larger pictures, some in frames, some set up against objects, but mostly Hermione couldn't figure out who were in the pictures.

After looking over all the pictures she went through a second time and stopped a moment and gazed at one picture. For some reason it just stood out to her. The picture didn't have nearly as much dust as the others. She carefully picked it up and studied it. She skillfully looked up to see Phineas looking at her with a smirk. She turned around, her back facing Phineas so she could look at the picture without being stuck under his gaze.

Fixing her eyes on the picture her thought process led her to one conclusion. It was a young Albus Dumbledore. He was a little boy, about the age of ten, with auburn hair. He was wearing a pair of glasses and a midnight blue shirt with moons and stars on it. The young Albus was sitting on his bed, hopping around on his bum. Every now and then he would pull a book out from under him and smile broadly at it. Hermione had to squint to read the title, _Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration_. Hermione knew the book to be a very in depth and detailed book. How a young Albus could ever have been interested in that was beyond her. However, he was considered one of the greatest wizards of all time, so it wouldn't be too out of sorts if he had learned from it at a young age.

She turned it over; the back panel looked almost new and she slid it from the frame. A small piece of parchment fell to the floor before she could catch it. Picking it up she unfolded it to read a message scrawled across it:

_The Truth Transforms us all…_

_The Truth Transforms us all. The Truth Transforms us all…_ It ran like a mantra through her head. _What does it mean? _Slowly she realized there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on the T's written in the note. She looked at the letter and the picture for quite some time before it clicked in her head. The three T's, there were three T's in the note and three T's in the book young Albus was reading. She deduced that there could be more information in a copy of the book. Now, where would she find the book in question?

She spun around quickly, looking for all the possible places the book could be. Phineas was smirking even more now, watching the witch as she looked around desperately for the book. "You know, if you thought about it, the book would seem to be practically under your nose," he said casually as he plucked at nonexistent threads on the chair he was seated on.

Hermione stopped and looked up at him before she looked down. There was nothing there but the floor. She sat down in the nearest chair against the wall. Beside her was a narrow table. She thought and thought about where the book would be. She looked at Phineas for more help when he just sighed in annoyance and gave her, and the table, a pointed look.

She stood up and looked at the table a little more. There was a drawer in the front of it, but she couldn't open it, no matter how hard she pulled. _Brilliant. A table I can't get into. Bloody hell!_ _What am I supposed to do with a locked drawer? Think Hermione, think._ The picture frame was still in her hand. Upon further inspection she noticed that the design on the frame matched that of the design around the drawer. Now, she was even more determined to find a way to open the drawer. There were no coincidences when it came to Albus Dumbledore. Running her hand under the table she felt a little notch in the wood. She pushed the notch in and the drawer sprang open. She caught the drawer before it could hit her in the chest. Pulling it open she found a dusty book entitled, _Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration_. It was ratty and torn, looking well over one hundred years old. She found that the book was indeed over one hundred years old as she checked the date it was published.

She handled the book as if it were precious cargo. Sitting behind the Headmistress' desk she set it down gently and just stared at it for a few seconds in wonder. There had to be something about this book that could help her. Help her how? She had no clue.

She flipped through the book, dust flying everywhere. Her flipping came to a halt when she felt a piece of parchment sandwiched between two pages. "What is this?" she asked herself.

Unfolding the parchment she carefully ironed it out with her hands so it was laying flat on the desk.

_Miss Granger,_

_Yes, I'm quite sure it is you who will find this letter. You aren't the brightest witch of your age for naught. Now, I would like to discuss a few things with you. _

_First, things are not always what they seem. You will do well to remember that. _

_Second, events have come to pass that doom an innocent man. You have more compassion than most and I know you can successfully figure the clues out to achieve your goal._

_Lastly, you will need to begin your journey in the snake's lair. I would start in the library. Glance over Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." Page 384._

_Good luck,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Hermione sat down heavily in her chair and re-read the letter, taking it all in, disbelief clouding her senses. She was too stunned to think, though she was keenly aware of the fact that her heart and mind were racing in sync. After a moment of her mind literally going blank, it went into overdrive.

How could Dumbledore have known she was going to find the letter? Even if she was the brightest witch of her age, anyone really could have found that letter. It struck her in that moment that she was getting instructions from a man who was dead. Even in his death he was meddling.

The next thing that raced through her mind was the fact that she was now involved in the middle of some elaborate plan that she could not comprehend. Leaning back against the chair, she stared at the ceiling. Many emotions were coursing through her in those moments; confusion, disbelief, curiousness, speechlessness, and the feeling of being utterly stunned. _This isn't helping_, she thought, before she looked back down at the piece of parchment that had changed everything so quickly. Leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her fist, she scanned the letter once again.

"Things aren't always what they seem," she read aloud, idlely wondering which situations he was referring to. It was made clear, in her mind, the moment she read the next paragraph. "Innocent man," she whispered. _Severus Snape_, she thought after a short pause. She scrunched her eyebrows together. From what Harry had told her he didn't seem innocent. Doomed yes, but innocent? That was a hard concept to grasp at this point in time, but perhaps the contents of the last part of the letter would give her perspective.

The snakes lair…_snakes lair…hmm…snake…Snape…Snape's quarters_…_that has to be it_. It was all clicking in her mind now. Headmaster Black had mentioned helping a snake, and the biggest snake of them all would have been the Head of Slytherin house. Where in the world would his rooms be though? The dungeons yes, but she had never really ventured down there.

Her resolve hardened at she read the part of how she would have to figure the clues out. _What clues? Lead her to what conclusion_?taringuld be a pity o said, Everything that had occurred in the past ten minutes ran through her mind. Her biggest anxiety came from not knowing what she would discover. Either way, she would figure it out.

He was sending her to the library. Of course he would send her there. She had to read a passage from Dostoevsky. Well, if that's where he wanted her to start, then that was where she was going to head.

She walked out of the office, letter in hand, and walked quickly to the library. She was anxious to find the passage. The library was empty, of course, and she found her way to the book in question. Looking on the shelf she found two copies of the book. One in English, and the other in Russian. She gazed at the two, deciding which one would be the correct book. Taking them both down she flipped through the English version first.

Carefully, she read the page twice, just to let the contents soak in. The third time through, a passage caught her eye, as if it was written in bold letters:

'_Enough!' he cried, suddenly, to the whole party. 'It's my fault…more than anyone's. Lebedev, here's the keys.'_

_Interesting_, she thought as she read it over a few more times, just to make sure she could justify the passage as the correct one. Taking both versions of the book with her she headed down to the dungeons. If it had been a school year, she wouldn't have ventured down there without Harry and Ron. But now, it felt weird being down there alone. The halls were dimly lit and there was a bit of a draft coming down the hall. Even though she didn't have to worry about anyone jumping out at her, the hairs on the back of her neck still stood up.

How the hell was she going to guess where his rooms where? The dungeons were dark and dreary. Gryffindor tower felt overly homely in that moment. She shook her head in amazement. It would literally take her all day to find out the location. In the back of her mind she knew she could ask the Headmistress, but that would mean letting her in on why she was looking for his rooms in the first place.

Sighing heavily she took out the book and started to read the passage out loud. She kept walking down the corridor, past suits of armor and pictures that she didn't recognize, and read for a few feet before she stomped her foot in frustration. This was getting her no where. Dumbledore could have at least given her an inkling of where Snape's quarters were.

She flipped through the Russian version and tried to pronounce the words as best she could. After reading it a couple of times she still had a little trouble. _So much for those teach yourself Russian books_, she thought acidly as she struggled with the words.

'достаточно! ' он кричал, внезапно, к целой стороне(партии). 'это - моя ошибка ... больше чем чей - то. Лебедев, вот - ключи. ' She said aloud, stumbling over a few of the words. Still walking she repreated "вот - ключи" trying to get the pronunciation correct. Without knowing it she had passed a large tapestry, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, which, wasn't very high due to the low ceilings of the dungeons. It was a dark green, almost black color and most of the threads were terribly thin. The scene was of the Hogwarts castle and Salazaar Slytherin was standing in front of it with a proud look on his face. The unassuming tapestry was just what Hermione was looking for.

As she passed saying "вот - ключи" with the correct pronunciation the right corner of the tapestry moved to reveal a wooden door that creaked open slowly. Hermione stopped at the creaking sound and turned to look inside. She stepped back and looked in cautiously. From what she could see the door led to a dimly lit room, from what she could see. The light source came from a candle; she could see a black sofa and a fireplace in front of it. Well, what she was sure was a fireplace. Nothing seemed amiss so she walked into the room looking around to make sure no one was around or hiding in any dark corners.

Once she was inside the room the tapestry moved back into place and the door closed. She was now in Severus Snape's quarters. _Great_. Hermione had no idea where to begin so she settled on sitting on the worn leather couch. Using her wand she started a fire and the room got marginally brighter. For a while she sat there, staring into the flames wondering what the hell she was doing in the snake's lair.

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A/N: A huge thanks to mak for finding the quote and providing the Russian.

'enough!' he cried, suddenly, to the whole party. 'it's my fault...more than anyone's. Lebedev, here's the keys.'

'достаточно! ' он кричал, внезапно, к целой стороне(партии). 'это - моя ошибка ... больше чем чей - то. Lebedev, вот - ключи. '

last name: Достоевский

first name: Фёдор

book's title: идиот

Dostoevsky's _The Idiot:_ Достоевский _идиот_


	3. In The Snake's Lair

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Please review and let me know what you think. The chapters should be coming pretty fast because I need to get this story done by November 3rd. So please, tell me what you think of each chapter. I would really appreciate it.

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Chapter Three

In the Snake's Lair

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Hermione sat on the worn couch rubbing her hands on the leather. It was well worn and in places ripped with the insides slightly poking out. In fact, the black leather didn't look black, but gray. She moved around trying to get comfortable, but, she couldn't. Her options were to sit in the valley where her bum was in contact with the wooden frame or the huge uncomfortable lump to her right. It was just too much for her to take and she jumped up disgusted that she couldn't find a comfortable seat to reflect.

It was then that she took a closer look at the dwelling of one Severus Snape. It was a dark and dreary room and the only light, other than the fire place, came from wall sconces with candles that never burned out. The remaining areas of the walls were lined with books. The books were in order and there didn't seem to be a gap of space anywhere for anything else. The furniture was all black; she didn't expect anything less really. Where the couch was worn and uncomfortable, a wingback chair to the right was very inviting. It looked well taken care of and there was no trace of a lump anywhere on the seat or the padding for the back. Looking down, she was standing on a Turkish rug with an intricate pattern of black, green, red, dark blue and violet colors. In the corner of the room, there was a mahogany desk with claw feet that looked just as worn as the couch. All the items on the desk seemed to be placed with precision, but there were a group of papers that seemed to be lying haphazardly on the desk.

The feel of the room was uninviting, cold even. _He must not have done much entertaining_, she thought idly as she started to walk around the room, looking at as many books as she could. There was a wide variety of books, ranging from Potions to Defense Against the Dark Arts to even Muggle literature. There was a whole bookshelf dedicated to Muggle literature. She was simultaneously shocked and unsurprised. Two conflicting emotions for the young Gryffindor, but they were still there in the forefront of her mind. She knew he was a half-blood so it wouldn't be amiss for him to have books written by Muggles. However, even with his lineage taken into consideration, he never seemed anything less than a pureblood.

Looking at the Muggle books they were just as varied as the Magical books. It seemed he read everything. She noticed that "The Canterbury Tales" was well worn and almost looked to be over a hundred years old. Hermione was itching to take the book out and check out which edition it was, but there was a feeling in the bottom of her stomach that told her it would not be in her best interest to take the book. On one of the upper shelves she noticed a small space. She wrinkled her brows in contemplation and looked at the books on either side of the gap. The titles were in Russian and the last name of the author was the same. Looking down at the book in her hand she found that the last name on the book in her hand was the same as the authors surrounding the space. _Dostoevsky_, she said smartly in her mind. _Why was his book in the library? Was this a ploy by Dumbledore and Snape? If so, what's the significance of this book? Just to give me a clue to the password? There has to be more to it than that._

Hermione decided to keep the book with her instead of putting it back. _It might be useful in the future_. It took her another ten minutes to walk around the room and when she finally got back to the other side of the fireplace; she realized there were no other doors in the room. She walked back to the desk to take a closer look. Her vision had not failed her, and her first impression of the desk was correct. The papers were written in a combination of Russian and English with the distinct writing style of her Potions Professor.

"How does he know Russian?" she said allowed to herself in a hushed voice, as if someone would overhear her. She carefully picked up a few of the parchments, turning them in every direction to try and see if she could make sense of them. There were a few English words that she _could_ read. _His handwriting is deplorable! How did he make it through Hogwarts with writing like this?_ _It's chicken scratch!_

Giving up on trying to figure out what he was trying to do, she neatly arranged them and laid them on the center of the desk. _Shouldn't there be a door to lead to his bedroom? His office? Something?_

It didn't make sense to her and she had no idea where to go next. What good was a room with no other doors? She took a deep breath trying to relax herself before she got overworked on emotions. It wouldn't help her situation and she knew it. Sighing loudly she said aloud, "Alright, Severus Snape, what am I supposed to do now?" Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said. She had just said her professor's first name! _Oh. My. God._ She looked around quickly, just to make sure no one overheard her. It was silly of her, she knew, but still…

Rolling her eyes at her own foolishness, she started to think logically about the situation. _There obviously has to be more than this to his rooms. There's no way he sleeps on that horrid couch._ _The desk might help, but not now. Maybe. Oh bugger! _Looking around the room, all she saw were books. _There has to be some help here._

She started walking back along the bookcases. She was on the left side of the desk looking at a section on Magical Theory. The book, _Non-Verbal Espionage Techniques,_ was sticking out slightly more than the rest. Thinking that it looked odd, she decided to push it back so it was even with the rest of the books. She pushed as hard as she could, but, the book wouldn't budge. She took it out to see if there was something behind it that was making it stick. However, before she could see if there was anything on the back of the wall, the whole case suddenly jerked forward and slid to the left, over the other bookshelf.

_Wow! Someone's full of surprises._ The empty space before her lead into another room, just as dark as the one she was currently standing in. The room was dimly lit, with the same sconces and candles, but the room was distinctly different. There was a king sized canopy bedroom to her right, set against the wall. It was covered with a dark green comforter and it looked rather inviting. The only other furniture in the room was an armoire made of cherry. _This is definitely not the room I need to be in!_ Turning around quickly she left the room and the bookshelf moved back into place.

Since that was clearly not the correct room she decided to continue browsing to see if anything else jumped out at her. She deduced that since the bookshelf moved to reveal his bedroom, then another book would lead her to another room; hopefully an important room.

Again, once she passed "The Canterbury Tales" the feeling in her stomach rose again. _Hmm_, she thought as she ran a hand over the worn cover. Taking it out slowly, she eased it gently out of its tight position. As soon as it was fully out of the hole; the bookshelf moved forward again, but this time covering the bookshelf to its right.

There was a large black hole in front of Hermione. It was scary and it reminded her of Professor Snape's black eyes. It had similar qualities too; it was dark, cold and seemingly endless, just like his eyes. "Lumos," she said in her mind, as she took her first step forward. Stepping inside the tunnel, the wall closed behind her and she jumped in surprise when a sconce holding a candle lit up beside her. Glaring at the candle she took a moment to regain control of her breathing before continuing on. Once she passed the glowing light from the candle another one glowed to life to continue lighting the way for her.

She followed the narrow and damp passageway for a little while noting that she seemed to be going deeper into the dungeons. Just when she thought the passageway would never end, it did. She passed the last sconce and the wall directly ahead of her moved open to reveal another room. The light was unexpected and she had to squint her eyes because of it. Blinking rapidly a few times to stop the tears from falling she turned around to see a huge portrait of Salazar Slytherin staring down at her.

"And who might you be?" the green clad Slytherin sneered down at her.

"Hermione Granger, sir," she said confidently.

"What are you doing in the Head of House's office? School has ceased to be in session…" he trailed off.

"I'm looking for something," she said as she started to turn around.

"So you broke in to steal something! And don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you!" the founding father said irritably.

Hermione turned around and put her hands on her hips saying smartly, "I was sent here by Headmaster Dumbledore _and_ Professor Snape to look for something. Also, you are merely a portrait; so please, leave me be."

Salazar looked aghast at the young witch standing before him. _How dare she! That little…she has some nerve. _"Why you ungrateful little chit! How dare you speak that way to me! If I weren't in this portrait I would send you for punishment further down in the dungeons!"

"Well, it's lucky for me you _are_ in the portrait! Now, if you don't mind." Hermione really was in no mood to be messed with. The more time went on the more she wanted to know what was going on. Even though this was Salazar Slytherin it didn't matter at this moment.

He continued to rant on and off; making smart comments under his breath that might have cut the fight right out of a first year Hufflepuff. Hermione ignored him completely. After having been caught between Harry and Ron in a fight over Quidditch she was able to quickly drown out unwanted noise.

The Professor's office was a typical office, she knew it rather well. She was aware of the office being dimly lit; she had made the mistake of thinking it was actually bright, but she had walked out of a dark tunnel. Opposite from the wall with Salazar Slytherin on it was his dark mahogany desk. In front of the large desk were two small uncomfortable chairs. She knew first hand how uncomfortable they could be; she had gone to the professor many times throughout her career as a student and it was not fun to be sitting in that chair with him glaring down at you. _Downright frightening_, she said to herself thinking back on a few instances in particular. The fireplace to her left had embers in it that had been burnt within the past couple of weeks. _Not since he left_. The lack of fire made the place even chillier.

Hermione didn't need to look at the walls, she knew what was held on them; glass jars filled will all sorts of animal parts that should never be on display. In her earlier years it was hard to stomach. Now, it was as if there was nothing on the walls but wall paper. In the corner of the room, between the fireplace and his desk, lay the infamous cupboard. She had stolen items out of it for the Polyjuice Potion in her second year. It had been a scary circumstance, but she had accomplished her goal.

For the first time in her life she was standing behind the desk of the most feared professor in Hogwarts. On the upper left corner of the desk was every book used by each year, stacked unevenly and out of order. On the right corner of the desk was a quill holder and three jars of red ink. _How much of that stuff does he go through in one day?_ In front of the ink were stacks of parchments she assumed were written by students. A paperweight of a snake set to strike was in between the books and the quill holder. In the center of a desk was a discarded quill with dried ink on it. Several drops of dried black ink seemed to have been spilled, running from the surface down the side of the desk. She narrowed her eyes at the ink drops and let her gaze follow them down to the floor, where she discovered a broken glass jar surrounded by a puddle of dried ink. She knelt down and reached for the broken glass, but jerked her hand back as a shard of glass grazed her finger and sliced it open. Wincing in pain, she carefully inspected the wound to see how deep the cut was. Letting her eyes go a little out of focus she noticed a piece of parchment sticking out from under the desk. Abandoning her concern over a small, inconsequential cut, she reached out and gently tugged on the parchment, freeing it from its position under the desk. Taking a moment to shake some of the wrinkles out of it she stood up to get a better look at it. It was tri-folded piece of parchment and she wasn't sure what to make of it. It looked like nothing of consequence, but it was near the broken ink…Debating internally for a few minutes she decided she would look at see what the contents held. Pulling the chair up to the desk she sat down and unfolded the paper carefully.

_There comes a point in a man's life where he has to make life altering decisions. Unfortunately for me, it came sooner than I expected. I know my life is forfeit; hopefully this will leave a brighter future for the world once this war is over. The tide is turning, I know this first hand. Dark times are here, but things are not going to get darker. _

Hermione stopped reading, in shock, that this was written by her Potions Professor. The ink was grayer and after comparing it to the following paragraph she deduced that the first paragraph had been written some time before the second paragraph. Where the first paragraph was written as neatly as possible, the second paragraph was written in haste.

_I regret what I am about to do, but I have no choice. Clues to quicken the end of the war can be found in a hole once occupied by a mutt and a feather duster. I'm so_

The last word was not complete and there was a line of ink trailing off from the o. Hermione tried to imagine what had gone through Professor Snape's mind as he started writing what she had just read. _It must have been difficult to write. This doesn't seem like Professor Snape, though. Ok, ok, ok. Think it through, Hermione. Alright, so he obviously wrote the first part earlier. The second part had to be written the night Dumbledore was murdered. From the look of the last almost sentence, it seems he might have been interrupted…by Professor Flitwick, perhaps? Right before the snake hexed the man no doubt. Makes sense. Now, as for the 'clues to quicken the end of the war'…_ Hermione sat and contemplated the letter. She cleared her mind and concentrated solely on the contents of the letter. _A hole once occupied by a mutt and a feather duster…a hole…occupied…mutt…feather duster….a hole…mutt…mutt…dog? A dog. Sirius! So the mutt is Sirius. Feather duster? Sirius and a feather duster. Sirius and a…oh wait! A hole! The cave! Buckbeak! The cave where Sirius and Buckbeak hid during our fourth year! That has to be it! Oh, where was it? Where was it? Um…Hogsmeade! The mountains overlooking Hogsmeade! What am I supposed to find there? I need more information! There has to be more than this!_

Hermione had kept a calm mind while figuring out the letter but towards the end her thinking became erratic and desperate. She needed more information. Flipping over the paper she hoped to find some more writing, but she knew there was nothing else written there. With frantic thoughts running through her mind she started to rummage through the papers on the top of the desk. There was nothing but second year potions essays. She tried the top drawer on her right next, still nothing; just extra quills and red ink in one drawer and old pieces of parchments in the bottom drawer. She started to look through them when she ran across a familiar looking essay, one from fifth year on the _Confusing and Befuddlement Draught_. _He said he lost it! It's been right here the whole time. How could he have missed it? The GIT!_

When she had written the essay, she felt confident beyond imagination that she would be given nothing lower than an Outstanding. When he handed the essays back, she had not received hers. After class, she asked him about it. He simply stood against his lectern and sneered down his big nose at her. "Perhaps it slipped out of my hands on the way to class. You could always check the floors in the dungeons if you must." Hermione had tried to get her grade out of him but he claimed he didn't remember.

Re-reading her essay she saw he had underlined all of her main points that seemed plausible. There were of course corrections, she had never gotten all perfect marks in Potions, still there weren't many. She had written about the ingredients used in the _Confusing and Befuddlement Draught_ and their effects on the body. Taking it one step further, and two feet longer than required, she proposed a way to use the three main ingredients in the Potion, sneezewort, scurvy-grass, and lovage, to reverse the effects of the potion. If these three ingredients could help the body recover, then maybe they could aide in helping patients who have brain damage. _It could change the medical world if research was done!_ To her utter surprise, he agreed! He even commented that it would be a great research study. _Oh. My. God! He was going to use my ideas and take the credit! He better hope Harry gets to him before me! Stealing my ideas! I never!_

Taking the note and her essay she left the office to go back to his rooms. She walked quickly past Salazar Slytherin, ignoring his last remarks about how disrespectful teenagers were. _Idiot_, she said to herself as she walked quickly down the hallway. _One last look at his rooms then a little trip to Hogsmeade is in order,_ she said as the bookcase closed behind her.


	4. A Lost Prophecy

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…If I get at least 10 reviews I will very tempted to post Chapter Five tomorrow….

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Chapter Four

A Lost Prophecy

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Hermione had not told the Headmistress about finding her way into Professor Snape's rooms. For some reason she couldn't do it. Maybe it was because the former Headmaster had faith enough in her to burden her with this task. Or, maybe it was because she didn't think Snape was quite as guilty as he seemed. She felt horrible for lying to the Headmistress, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Besides, she had already done the deed and she was currently on her way to Hogsmeade. During her walk she had plenty of time to think about what had happened during the day. Professor Snape's rooms had caught her a little by surprise. She could never imagine having such a poorly lit room. How could he do all that reading and research with no light. For that matter, how did he maintain good eyesight reading in that light? Shaking her head she stopped herself from thinking about that. _Why does that matter anyways?_ She chastised herself for her silly thoughts.

She had more important things to consider during her walk. _Who would have thought Severus Snape would have such remorse for what had happened? He never seemed to be someone who would care about his actions. He certainly never cared how he treated the Gryffindors in class. A Slytherin could get away with murder but a Gryffindor would practically be sent to the gallows for breathing incorrectly. No, what went on in the classroom was inconsequential to what was happening in the wizarding world. He was a spy. _Hermione didn't know his exact role in the Order of the Phoenix but she could assume a few things. Passing information about the actions of the Death Eaters was most likely an important role. Spreading misinformation to Voldemort was probably just as important.

At the end of the summer she would push to be initiated into the Order. She was old enough, definitely mature enough, and she wanted to find out more about her Professor's role in the Order. Perhaps if she found out a bit more, she could get a more clear idea about what she was supposed to accomplish. Well, with or without the information from the Order, she was going to figure out what was going on. It was only a matter of time as far as Hermione was concerned.

Hermione had finally arrived in Hogsmeade and wasn't sure where to begin. She had never really gone "hiking" in the mountains around the village. Making her way into The Hogs Head, she decided on an early dinner. She had skipped lunch in her excitement and she didn't want to skip another meal, especially when she was about to go into the mountains to find a cave. Throughout her meal she thought about where she was going to start. During her fourth year, Harry had told her Sirius was hiding in a cave, but not the location. She couldn't exactly ask Harry about _where_ Sirius had been without having to explain why she was asking. It would _not_ go over well with Harry if he knew one of his best friends was trying to help the person he hated the most. _Professor Snape might have even surpassed Voldemort on the most hated list_.

Before she left, she asked one of the waitresses if she knew anything about the mountains. Apparently there was a little path at the end of town that led into the mountains. _Well, that's probably the best place to start_, she thought as she headed out the door and towards the edge of town. There was indeed a path at the edge of town. A little sign that was well worn pointed to the mountains. She would only have a little time to look around before it started to get dark. If she didn't find what she was looking for tonight she would have to come back tomorrow and continue her search. Striding confidently up the trail she headed into the mountains.

Half an hour later she was still wandering through the mountainous forest trying to find the cave. She almost gave up when she came to an overlook to her right. Looking down a little ways she saw an opening. _That could be it!_ She tried to find a way down but nothing seemed plausible. Hermione thought about a broom, but she would have to go back to Hogwarts and get one. She could have conjured up some rope and climb down but that wouldn't work. There really was no safe way for her to get down there from her current location. _Perhaps there is another way_, she thought as she started to go back down the trail. She made her way around the mountain with ease before she was at the bottom of the valley. This time she was looking up at the hole. _Perfect, there's no way to reach it from here either_. She tried to look for a path up there but there was nothing.

The sun was setting and Hermione didn't know exactly what creatures roamed the mountains at night. She decided to go back to the school so she could develop a plan to get into the cave. She hoped that it was the correct cave. In her mind it had to be. It was the perfect hideout. No one could reach it by foot and Buckbeak could have easily flown in there.

Once she was back in the safety of the castle she once again made her way down to the dungeons. She wanted to look through the professor's books. Hermione had second thoughts about going through his personal things, but she knew he wouldn't be coming back and really she could always say she was doing it to look for more information. Hermione was absolutely enthralled with his book collection. There was a plethora of information and she couldn't wait to delve into it. She might as well take advantage of this since she might not get another chance. When it came to learning, she wouldn't hesitate to do so. Picking out about then books she set them on the coffee table in front of the lumpy couch and started a fire. She picked up the first book on the pile, a potions book from the sixteenth century that you could not buy anywhere in the world. It took her no time at all to get engrossed in the book, losing all sense of time. Eventually, she fell asleep on the chair with her finger stuck in the book, holding her place.

The next morning she woke with a jolt, forgetting where she was. It took a moment or two to remember she was in Snape's rooms. Rubbing her face with her hands she stood up and stretched, cracking her back in the process. Hermione went into the Great Hall and had breakfast before heading back to Hogsmeade. This time she came prepared; she was going to brave a broom to get up there. The hike took her no time at all. She decided she would rather fly up to the cave than down to it. _Less scary_. The flight up was little unnerving for Hermione but she got there unscathed. Landing a little uneasy, she stumbled off the broom and into the cave. It was gloomy and she had to cast _Lumos_ to help her see through the darkness.

The first thing she did was walk around the cave to get oriented. Nothing stood out right away so she decided to look closely at the walls to see if there was anything written there. Not a thing. The bottom of the cave was the last thing she needed to search. Pointing her wand towards the ground she started to look around for anything out of the ordinary. At the very back of the cave she saw a rock that looked like it was recently moved to that spot; she could still see the tracks where it had been pushed. Using her wand, she banished the rock away and found a small hole the size of a Remembrall. The hole was dark and Hermione couldn't see what was at the bottom of it. "_Accio_," she said pointing at the hole. A small, dark orb flew into her hands. She turned it over in her hands, remembering where she had seen an orb, just like the one in her hands. _It's a prophecy. Just like the ones in the Hall of Prophecy at the Department of Mysteries._

This one didn't glow like the one Harry had when he grabbed his prophecy; it was cold, dark, and extremely dirty. She knew the only way to hear the content was to destroy the orb. Hermione was a bit too paranoid to just destroy it in the cave where someone, though unlikely, could hear it. Stuffing the prophecy safely in her pocket she mounted her broom and took off, up to the cliff above her.

It was lunch by the time she made it back to the castle. Minerva had questioned her over lunch why she had gone to Hogsmeade again. Hermione had said she needed to look for a few things, which wasn't a lie, just a stretch of the truth. Throughout lunch she was constantly checking her pocket to make sure the prophecy was still safe. It wasn't like someone was going to walk by her and steal it.

Thankful that lunch was over, she made sure to chat with Minerva a few minutes longer than necessary, and quickly headed to her room. Once she locked her door, she let a long sigh of exhaustion pass before she secured her room with a silencing charm. Hermione sat on her bed and pulled out the prophecy, running the orb through her hands. She knew she had to break it and Hogwarts didn't have anyone around that would overhear it and tell Voldemort.

Without thinking about it one more time, she dropped it on the floor. The orb shattered into a thousand little pieces and a red fog lifted from the floor. The image of an old lady filled out the fog as she began to speak in a deadly serious tone.

_From darkness with impending conation the dragon rises_

_A task he is set from the rising innominate_

_Compliance will mean the slaying of the beast_

_To remain in darkness is to choose the bitter fate_

_Volition his only saviour, aided by a doomed protector_

_Sinister obsidian will guide to an unlikely end_

_The one whose duty is to the chosen one_

The image faded and Hermione was left to contemplate its meaning. _Perfect. Something simple. As if things aren't complicated enough._ Hermione's back fell to the mattress with a thump before she exhaled powerfully, blowing some errant strands out of her eyes. She stared at the ceiling for a while trying to begin the arduous task of figuring the prophecy out. This was nothing like deciphering Dumbledore's letter or Snape's missive. This was just chaos. She didn't have an inkling of where to begin. It was incredibly cryptic and the prophecy could apply to anyone. _How am I supposed to know who this is about? It's insane. The only thing that makes sense is the chosen one, Harry, but other than that…Nothing. Albus Dumbledore why did you have to get me involved with this…this thing. I don't even know what this **thing** is! I shouldn't have gone looking around his chambers. This is the reason I didn't go with Harry and Ron; I wanted some time to collect my thoughts and figure out some things. Now, here I am, stuck in this mess. What mess, I don't know. _Hermione continued with this train of thought for ten minutes before she wore herself out with thinking.

All she really wanted to do was nap; it would help her take a break from all the worrying she had been doing over this whole thing. Before she closed her eyes, she put the memory of the prophecy into a small pensieve that she had purchased in Diagon Alley before sixth year. Just to be extra careful she wrote down the prophecy on a piece of paper before sticking it in a book on her bedside table. Once her mind was somewhat at ease over the whole thing she snuggled under her covers and fell asleep hoping that her nap would give her a little boost of energy.

Hermione slept for five hours that afternoon. Looking at her clock she realized she missed dinner. _Great another thing I will have to explain to McGonagall. _For some reason, ever since Dumbledore's death, Minerva had been hounding almost everyone just to make sure they were alright and alive. Hermione had become her target recently, especially since she was staying at Hogwarts. It bothered her a great deal to always have to tell the old biddy her whereabouts but she would indulge the Headmistress.

Feeling a little refreshed, she walked down to the kitchens and grabbed a quick bite to eat. The whole time she replayed the prophecy over and over in her head. Still, the only thing that made any sense was Harry being the "chosen one." Hermione debated telling someone about the prophecy, but she really couldn't think of anyone who would be of much help. Harry and Ron didn't have the time for it and any adult in the Order would probably just dismiss her. _Hmm, what about Ginny? She could help me. I can trust her and I know she won't write me off. Should I tell her? How much should I tell her? Oh hell!_

Hermione was getting more frustrated than she had ever been in her life. There wasn't a book that could help her with this and she didn't have anyone to turn to; other than Ginny who was still an undecided option. _Alright! I just can't think on this anymore tonight. I need a distraction. Perhaps a trip to Grimmauld Place would help to take this off my mind. Ginny will be there so maybe I can talk to her. Yes, that's it. I will just take the night off, go visit Ginny and then start fresh tomorrow. _

And that's just what Hermione did; she told the Headmistress where she was going and apparated to the Black house. It was refreshing to be around the Weasley's again. She had missed them in the short time since she had seen them last. They did wonders on distracting one from troubling thoughts. It was all she could do to keep track of their conversations over the kitchen table. Towards the end of the night she felt exhausted and decided to stay the night. Ginny had been very excited to see her and was anxious to hear all about what she had done for the new Headmistress. It was difficult to tell her everything because really she hadn't done much; especially since she found the letter in Dumbledore's office.

Hermione fell asleep on the bed beside Ginny's a little before midnight. Sleep overtook her quickly and she didn't wake again until ten the next morning. By then, most of the Weasley's had gone to work, leaving Mrs. Weasley and Ginny to go about their business. After a quick meal, Hermione found Ginny in the Black library reading a large tome about the Dark Arts.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked as she sat down beside Ginny on the couch.

"Just a little book I picked up about the Dark Arts. You can never be too prepared. Constant vigilance you know…" she said as she continued to read.

Hermione nodded her head and settled into the couch. She opened up a notebook and rewrote the prophecy again. After thinking about it she figured the best way to solve this problem was to take it one word at a time. It would take a while, but she knew she would eventually figure it out. Reading the first line she wrote down

_Dragon – person _

_Innominate – define_

She continued in this manner, writing down words she knew and could probably guess and words she would need to look up. Once she defined the words that she needed a few things started to make sense. From what she had she could assume a few things. "Rising innominate," or rising unnamed, could be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort. That helped her out immensely because now she knew what topic she was dealing with. She figured that the "Dragon", must be stopped from the darkness because he had a duty to "the chosen one." _So, this person, Person A, comes from the darkness, but he is stopped by someone, Person B, so he can help Harry. Wow. "Sinister obsidian," is described as sinister obsidian and is the "doomed protector." Hmmm, very interesting. Now what?_

She was farther along than she was an hour ago and she felt somewhat better knowing she was headed somewhere with all this. Taking a break from the work she decided to head back to Hogwarts to see if she could help the Headmistress with anything.

To her delight, the Headmistress was tied up in a meeting with Minister of Magic Scrimgeor. Taking the opportunity to return back to the dungeons she entered Snape's rooms and perused his bookcases. A few of the bookcases had little drawers on the bottom to store books. Opening one of them, she found stacks of composition notebooks; the compartment was full of them. There wasn't an inch of space left. She pulled out one and the title read:

_First Year_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts_

_Book 5  
Severus Snape_

She opened the book and each page was filled with black ink. There was one curse per page and everything possible about it was written down. Proper pronunciation, wand movement, the word broken down into Latin, how to defend against it, and possible counter-curses; everything imaginable was on that page. It was hard to read some of it because around the edges of the paper things were written smaller and words were smeared or abbreviated. The whole book was like the first page, and it didn't stop. She set it down on the floor and picked up the next composition notebook, which was Book 6. She was enthralled at the detail he put into all of his work. _In first year!_ The compartment was all from first year. Smirking to herself, she realized there were no books on Divination.

The next six compartments were filled with notebooks from each of his years at Hogwarts. _I could simply study all of these and I would be ready to take the N.E.W.T.'s._ _How did he have the time to finish all of this?_ The next two compartments were all about his research in Potions marked from 1976-1979. Hermione didn't know why there was this much research in those three years but found an interesting passage in one of the books about a "Master X." Snape also referred to an apprenticeship. _He must have been an apprentice. But where? And who?_

As the books continued on, there was an increased scattering of Russian. Towards the end the books were all written in Russian. _Perhaps he had an apprenticeship in Russia. I didn't even know you could do that? I need to do some research on apprenticeships. I could definitely use the information._

Hermione took a while longer to read though some of his journals and research during his years in Russia, or at least that's what she called it. There was so much more to Severus Snape than she ever could have imagined. His image, in her mind, had changed significantly over the past couple of days. What would she think of him when she saw him again? If she ever did.

The next cabinets were again full of notebooks filled with journal entries and research. It was difficult for her to read them because she thought it was an invasion of his privacy. If he ever found out she read them he would probably kill her. Well, there was nothing he could really do about it now, so she read just a little bit about his research. He had dabbled in every area of the subject. Hermione was shocked that the meanest professor Hogwarts had ever seen was such an academic. _I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, he is a Potions Master after all. He had to get there somehow. _But the image of him researching and trying to find cures for the ill were hard to grapple with.

Hermione was so into reading the notebooks she lost track of time and before she knew it, it was eleven o'clock. She stacked the books on the desk and sat down. Opening the centre drawer she found quills, and to her surprise, ink pens. The presence of ink pens was a bit of a jolt, but she scolded herself because she knew he was a half-blood. It wasn't the first time she had assumed incorrectly about him and she was sure it wasn't going to be the last time.

Hermione looked in the drawer moving pens, quills, and other miscellaneous items around, just looking to see what else the professor had up his sleeves. She reached for the back but felt something rub against the top of her hand. A piece of paper was stuck to the top of the drawer. Carefully pulling it from its location, she read it, noticing the writing was _not_ Snape's. The paper simply read: _Hufflepuff cup Location: Stonehenge_.

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Many thanks to Becca for basically writing the prophecy. The idea was mine but the wording was all hers.


	5. Life as a Muggle

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

I guess you guys have waited long enough for Chapter 5, so here it is. Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Five

Life as a Muggle

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This was not how his life was supposed to be. He was supposed to be in his family manor living the life, the life of luxury. Waking up at any time he wanted, having the most expensive food cooked for him, tea time with his mother, and getting spoiled with the nicest and finest clothing anywhere. It was how things were supposed to be. But, no, Draco Malfoy was living a horrid life, in his mind at least; the life of a Muggle.

It had only been a little over a week since that fateful night at Hogwarts. Draco understood why he had to go in hiding, but he didn't understand _why_ he had to parade around like a Muggle. It drove him absolutely nuts. Everything about the lifestyle infuriated him. He and his mother had been wearing the same set of clothing, sans the robes, for over a week and it made him queasy to think that he had been wearing the same thing for so long. He never wore anything more than once without it being washed. Not only was he wearing dirty clothes, his appearance was not like it used to be. Instead of looking sharp and noble he looked like a commoner; with mousy brown hair and eyes to match. It was so disgusting he hated to look at himself in the mirror. Vanity was a Malfoy trait, after all.

Not only did he have his vanity to worry about, he had to live with the fact that he was staying in Amesbury, which was in the same county as his family home. _Not even 100 kilometres from home!_ He couldn't even go to the house to get a change of clothing. Draco realized the place would probably be searched by the Ministry, but, he knew they would never find anything of much significance; his father had hidden most of the important items and family heirlooms. If he ever saw Severus Snape again he was going to curse him for making him and his mother live like this.

Narcissa was dealing with the situation slightly better than Draco. Narcissa had changed her appearance as well. She now wore dark brown, shoulder length hair. Her eyes were a dark hazel. Looking in the mirror was a shock to her but she dealt with the trouble internally whereas Draco spoke about every little thing that bothered him. She couldn't fault Draco for feeling the way he was; they had raised him that way, to her approval.

Over a horrid meal one night she said, "I know this is unpleasant, believe me, this is the last thing I want to be doing, but we have no other choice."

The argument that ensued was not enjoyable. Draco had replied, "We could just go back to the manor. It's not that far!"

"It's because of your father that we are here in the first place. If he had just listened to me in the first place and convinced the Dark Lord not to burden you with that task then we would be at the manor now. We can't go to the manor and you know it."

"If anyone was watching, we could just sneak in and no one would be the wiser."

"We most certainly cannot. They are not that easily fooled Draco."

"I can't live like this any longer!" Draco screamed.

Narcissa agreed with Draco. They certainly had the easy life and she knew it must be difficult for the boy to be put in such a different situation so quickly. She was certainly missing the finer things in life and no doubt her son was as well. "I sympathize with you Draco. Severus certainly could have put us up in a more suitable dwelling, but he didn't. We have to look out for ourselves now. Your father cannot help us. When this _war_ is over it needs to look like we helped the correct side win. It will not do for us to have to live like this forever. We have a task to do and we will use any means necessary to reach the appropriate end. If we have to take the less-than-high roads to accomplish it then we will."

Draco narrowed his eyes and smirked. "And which side is the correct side, mother?"

Narcissa gave him a cold look before replying, "You know which side, _Draco_."

"We have to do something. Perhaps we could just sneak home for a few things. It would make living like filth much more bearable."

The conversation continued in that manner for a long while; Draco wanting to go home and Narcissa telling him it was impossible. She was actually starting to get annoyed with her dear child. Finally, she was just too frustrated to continue with him and said snidely, "You will just have to suffer through this then!"

Draco didn't say anything more after that, though he did have a few scathing remarks about Severus, that Narcissa silently agreed with. It wouldn't do to let Draco think he could manipulate her. Dinner was tense the rest of the evening; they finished their meals at the small wooden table at their dwelling in silence.

They were staying in a small apartment near the centre of the town. Severus had sent them there with the portkey. The place had a small kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. A few pieces of furniture, old and well used, were in the apartment. It certainly wasn't anything Narcissa or Draco were used to, but it would have to do.

Severus had given Narcissa a two-way mirror for them to communicate when absolutely necessary. He had told her and Draco to visit Stonehenge. They were to keep their eyes open for someone they would recognize, and aide that person if necessary. Narcissa had not told Draco the details of her Unbreakable Vow with Severus. No matter how sly the boy tried to be, she would not budge. If Draco knew who they were helping to protect he would refuse to do anything.

Narcissa was shocked when Severus told her who she had to protect. If there had been any way out of it, she would have taken it. However, Severus had saved Draco and she owed the man. There was no way out of it, so she took the vow. Narcissa was just thankful no one had shown up at Stonehenge. The longer it took someone to show up the longer she didn't have to tell Draco what had to be done.

It was their second weekend as Muggles and they were dressed in their best "normal" clothing. The pair took the bus to Stonehenge and pretended to be tourists admiring the earthworks. Draco walked around with a bored expression while Narcissa kept her eyes open for anyone who looked familiar. She almost gave up, thankfully, that no one arrived, when she spotted someone with a magical signature.

A girl with brown hair that was tied in a loose bun on the top of her head was walking around the stones looking at everything with deep curiosity. Narcissa had only been able to view the back of her head but Narcissa felt a familiarity with the girl. She walked around the opposite way so she could reach the girl and get a good look at her. About five minutes later she walked past the girl. Narcissa had to contain herself when it clicked in her mind that it was indeed Hermione Granger. Now, all she had to do was watch over her and make sure she got the package with no problems.

Finding Draco sprawled out on the grass looking at the monument lazily she whispered, "You wanted to know what we are doing here?"

Draco's eyes widened and he sat up fully, "Yes, tell me," he demanded.

"We are to make sure a certain person is able to obtain something from the stones safely," she said obscurely.

"What person?" he questioned warily.

"Over there," she said pointing to the girl in jeans and a black t-shirt. From the view and distance it was difficult for Draco to make out the person; which was perfect because then Narcissa wouldn't have to explain anything to Draco.

"So are we just supposed to sit here and watch her?"

"No, _you_ are going to sit here and watch to make sure no one else, like your father's associates, arrive. If they do you will need to give me a signal." She paused a moment thinking of an appropriate Muggle signal. "Whistle three times. I will be following her to make sure everything is fine. We will need to stop anyone who tries to stop her. Curse them if you have to Draco but do it silently."

Draco sighed dramatically as if this was the silliest thing on earth. "Very well."

"Thank you, son, you are just so very helpful." She stood and walked away quickly before he could come up with a scathing remark.

Narcissa followed Hermione around for a while. She wasn't sure what the girl was doing, but she wished she would hurry up. If she and Draco could avoid having to step in to save Hermione from something then that would be helpful. After a while Narcissa started to have an uneasy feeling about this whole thing. The sun was starting to set and people were catching the last bus to head back to Amesbury.

Hermione had moved to the other side of the circle of stones so no one from the bus could see her. Narcissa transfigured into a white mink and wound through the stones all the while keeping an eye on Hermione. Draco had started to make his way closer to the pair so he could see them in the dimming light. He still had no clue who the girl was. Though he was anxious to see who they were helping he had a job to do and he focused on that. It was good for him that the area surrounding the earthworks was relatively flat; it gave him a good view of things and he was able to see if anyone was coming from a far distance. However, this gave him very little hiding space. Draco crouched down low to the ground to help hide. He was in the shadows of the stones now and kept his eyes open for anyone who was likely to arrive.

While Draco was on the outside of the stones, Narcissa and Hermione were making their way closer to the centre of the stones. Narcissa still felt very uneasy and it only intensified as they got farther into the stones. Something bad was going to happen and she knew it. It was eerily quiet, which added to her uneasiness. The only sounds were the crunching of her feet as she walked over the grounds. Narcissa was thankful that the girl was smart because she was walking in the shadows making sure she wasn't seen. If someone did appear then Hermione would have a good chance of not being visible.

Just when Narcissa and Hermione were getting to the centre she heard three whistles. Crouching down closer to the ground Narcissa looked around hoping to see who was coming. She could sense a couple of people. Hermione had stopped as well when she heard the whistle. After a few moments, they could both here the sounds of footsteps. Hermione had crouched down behind a stone and Narcissa was working her way around the stones to place herself between Hermione and the intruders. She had to find out who she was dealing with before she could make a move.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she stayed as still as she could. Three sets of legs walked quickly past her. She watched them walk right by her and saw Draco hide behind the nearest stone. Draco spotted her as she transformed back into a human. She signalled for him to stay put and he did. Narcissa silently followed the three as they neared the centre of the stones. It seemed Hermione was going to just stay put and see what happened.

The three stepped fully into the centre and Narcissa was able to see who was there. It was Avery, Alecto and Amycus Carrow; all three had been involved in the raid at Hogwarts. They clearly didn't know what or who they were looking for. The squat Amycus questioned impatiently, "Where the bloody hell is it?"

Alecto looked at her brother and sighed warily. "Well clearly I don't know. How about we look around for it?" she said mockingly.

Amycus glared at her and was about to retort when Avery stepped in and said, "Enough! Let's just find this stupid thing and be on our way. We don't want to keep the Dark Lord waiting…"

The three started to look around and Narcissa transformed back into a mink and walked around avoiding them. She kept an eye on Hermione just to make sure she wasn't seen. Hermione had also been moving around, making sure she was undetected, while the Death Eaters prowled around. Narcissa was slightly impressed that the girl was so stealthy.

"Oye! Over here you lot. I've found something," Avery yelled out suddenly. He was on his hands and knees looking at the ground. The ground around one of the stones was slightly messed up as if it had recently been trampled on. It was the only one of its kind. Using his wand he lifted the stone and found a hole that was filled with fairly fresh dirt. Alecto and Amycus began to move the dirt around with their hands until they felt something. With some effort they finally pulled up a dirt filled cup. Amycus wiped it off and emptied all the dirt out of it while Avery replaced the stone.

"Is that Hufflepuff's cup?" Alecto asked.

"Yes," Avery replied. "Let's get out of here," he said hastily.

As they started to move away from the centre of the stones Avery was hit from behind with a curse. He dropped to the ground like a stone and Amycus and Alecto turned around quickly, eyes wide open, and their wands at the ready. Another curse from another direction hit Amycus who fell to the ground, the cup flying from his hands. Alecto crouched down to the ground and started to look for the fallen cup. She spotted it but before she could reach it someone jumped from the shadows, snatched the cup up and dashed through the stones. She took off after the person throwing curses at them whenever she could get an open shot

Narcissa was about to cast another curse at Alecto when she was tackled to the ground by Avery. They rolled on the ground for a few moments before Narcissa was able to connect her knee with his groin. He was momentarily paralyzed and she took advantage of that by casting the Killing Curse. She got up quickly and found Amycus recovering from the curse she threw at him. He straightened and looked directly at her. He didn't hesitate to throw a curse, _Petrificus Totalus_. He merely wanted to stun her so he could capture her. However, Narcissa was much quicker than he was and transformed into a mink again. She scampered away and due to her small size she was difficult to see. Amycus tried to find her but before he could Narcissa had transformed back and used her wand to pick up a piece of stone and smash him in the head. Satisfied that those two weren't going anywhere she quickly ran to the edge of the stones to see where Draco was.

Draco had been waiting at the outer rim of the stones to see who would emerge from the centre. He heard two people running and every now and then the sound of spells hitting stone. Waiting patiently he stood against one of the stones with his wand ready. He waited for the two people to run by him before he acted. The girl had something in her hand and was running as fast as she could. The person behind her was trying to catch up though clearly out of breath. They were slowing down and it was getting harder for them to cast a spell. Draco took a step forward and cast _Impedimenta_, successfully stopping the person. Draco was hoping to get a look at the girl, and he did. She turned around to look back to make sure she was in the clear before she apparated away.

Draco was astonished when he realized it was Hermione Granger. His anger was starting to boil but before he could get angrier he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around quickly ready to cast a curse if he needed to. Realizing it was only his mother he lowered his wand and looked angrily at her. "Why didn't you tell me we were helping a Mudblood?"

"Get over it Draco. Help me with these bodies. We need to get them out of here so no one figures out what happened here tonight," she said quickly as she started toward the stiff Alecto. They had to get rid of three bodies tonight before they could move on.


	6. Quality Time with Voldemort

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Six

Quality Time with Voldemort

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Tom Riddle must die. It was like a mantra running through Severus Snape's head. It had only been a little over a week and already the most evil wizard in the world was slowly tearing away at Severus' nerves. The only things stopping Severus from killing him outright was the fact that Potter had to deliver the final blow and he was already killing the fool through a "replenishing potion."

Severus had been tasked to develop a replenishing potion for the Dark Lord once he became corporeal again. It took Severus a while to successfully brew a potion that was fit for Voldemort's snake like body and in the end he had needed Nagini's venom to help with the efficacy. While he was working on the potion he had also been experimenting on ways to make the potion look the way it was suppose to and do the exact opposite of Voldemort's wishes. It had been an accident but once Severus realized what he had discovered he and Dumbledore developed a plan; to slowly introduce the potion to Voldemort's system. He would think his strength was rebuilding for a while, but eventually the effects would change to make him as weak as a baby. The plan had been for the final Horcruxes to be destroyed so Potter could kill him in his weakened state with no way to come back. The potion was doing its job; it was just a matter of finding the remaining Horcruxes.

Not only did Severus have to deal with the Dark Lord all the time, he also had to deal with the rat, Wormtail. He had been unbearable while living at Spinner's End, but in the presence of the Dark Lord he was even more repulsive. The fat little man was always cowering and shivering, catering to the Dark Lord's every move like a house elf. It was disgusting to Severus, though at times he did have to act like a faithful servant himself. The only thing that eased his mind just a little was the fact that he didn't have to deal with that braggart, Lucius Malfoy, who was currently occupying a cell in Azkaban.

Due to Severus's valiant effort of finally killing Dumbledore he was now one of the Dark Lord's confidants, much to Wormtail's dismay. He was still, nothing more than a bother and something to kick around when thoroughly pissed off. Voldemort didn't mind anyone bullying the rat; he enjoyed the display. The plus side of being in the Dark Lord's favour was all the information Severus gathered. Three of the six horcruxes had been successfully destroyed, and Hufflepuff's cup had been retrieved the previous night by the Order which meant that it would soon be destroyed as well. At first, Severus didn't know what the last two horcruxes were or their locations, but through snippets of conversations, and luck, Severus was able to piece together the information and come up with some well educated guesses. Rowena Ravenclaw had saved the talon from her most favourite raven and had it dipped in bronze to preserve it. How the Dark Lord came across it was a mystery to Severus, but he didn't really care how it was acquired; he cared about where it was. From a slip of the tongue, he was able to figure out that the talon was hidden in the Muggle orphanage Tom Riddle grew up in.

Finding the final horcrux was really a mistake. Severus had had enough of Narcissa and Draco harping on him over the two-way mirror about how they "missed the comforts of home," which to Severus meant that they were sick of living like paupers. He thought it would do them a world of good to finally have to live in the real world for a bit. Nonetheless, he needed to get out of the presence of the Dark Lord and snuck out in the middle of the night to grab a few insignificant things from the manor. It was just easier to shut them up.

Severus had been to Malfoy Manor quite a few times but never unaccompanied by Lucius or Narcissa. Having free range of the Manor was an odd feeling, but Severus felt like roaming around to see if he could find anything useful. He had been walking down an unknown corridor when he came across a portrait that seemed somewhat familiar. Doing a double take, he realized it was a portrait of Godric Gryffindor. It was highly unusual for a Gryffindor item to be in a Slytherin house, especially in the house of a Malfoy. The portrait stared at him for a moment before saying. "Who are you? I haven't seen you here before."

Severus quirked an eyebrow at the portrait before replying, "Severus Snape. And you are Godric Gryffindor I suppose?"

"That is indeed correct, my boy!" Godric said cheerfully. He had been suffering for years, in dire need of some decent company.

"You used to hang in Hogwarts didn't you?" Severus asked. He had seen this portrait before, hanging up on the walls. _If I remember correctly, Albus had to take down the portrait because it had a nasty habit of making the students cry._

"AH! Yes, that is correct. But, I was taken down by a handsome, rude young man. I never returned either and ended up here of all places. Quite odd if you ask me." He rambled on for a bit but Severus wasn't listening. It was peculiar that Godric Gryffindors portrait was here and there had been an exact replica of it in Hogwarts not even two years ago.

"How long have you been here?" Severus said irritably, interrupting the old wizard who was going on a tangent about poor lighting.

"Why, I say at least twenty years, but I am an old fellow, so you know, it could have been longer…" Again, Gryffindor went on and on about nothing of importance.

Severus walked off deep in thought over his discovery. _The Dark Lord must have made a copy of the portrait and sent the original to be placed here. Then that means the duplicate portrait could be a horcrux. That could account for its horrid behaviour. Yes, that's it. Now, I need to find out where that wretched copy is._

Severus knew what the final horcrux was; it was just a matter of locating the blasted thing. No matter how much he tried to slyly pry it out of the Dark Lord, he came up empty handed. He couldn't push too much or else the Dark Lord would become suspicious. It was now only a matter of figuring out how to leak the information to the Order without either party getting too suspicious. Severus knew he had to be very careful with the information he had gained. Thinking through the endless possibilities he decided that he would have to give information carefully and spaced out over time. He couldn't risk Voldemort finding out that the Order was receiving the information through a spy, let alone him. Coming to an adequate solution he decided to feed the information to Narcissa and let her get in contact with Miss Granger. It was up to Narcissa on how to give the information safely to the Gryffindor.

When Severus wasn't brewing the potion, at meetings, or just pacifying the Dark Lord, he had plenty of time to think about things. He dwelled on the events of that fateful night when he became the murderer of the great Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster had been like a father-figure to Severus in his adult years. As much as Severus hated being emotionally attached to people, he had become fond of the old wizard. They had been through their difficulties of course, such as, dealing with how Severus was treated at Hogwarts and his error at joining the Dark Lord in the first place. In the end they had come to a silent agreement to leave the past in the past and make the best of what they had in the moment.

Severus regretted having to kill Albus, but he had been ordered to, by the Headmaster himself. No matter how much Severus argued with Albus, he would never relent. Albus always told Severus that he had to protect Draco from becoming a murderer and falling in league with the Dark Lord. It made Severus wonder if Albus had known about the lost prophecy, though, he never mentioned it, even in all of their discussions. It would be no surprise to Severus if Albus _had_ known about the prophecy, but part of him believed that Albus would have told him if he had. Or at least he hoped that was true.

Severus would always try to make Albus resend his demand that Severus kill him if there was no other way out of it. It finally took an argument at the edge of the Forbidden Forest for Albus to get fed up with arguing. Severus owed Albus a wizarding debt and he finally called it forth. He was magically bound to kill Albus if Draco was placed in the position to do it. It was a sickening feeling having that hanging over his head.

Severus had tried to get information from Draco, but the young man was withdrawn and only aware of himself at the time. He had no focus and looked pale. Severus had never seen the boy so bad off and tried constantly to get something from him. Narcissa had, of course, told him about the task Draco was supposed to accomplish but he wanted Draco to come to him or at least pry the information _from_ Draco. It would have been folly to come right out and ask the young Slytherin about it. Draco would have immediately closed off and never spoken about it again.

Severus knew it was Miss Granger who was helping him on the outside. He had not been pleased when Albus had told him the plan to have her find a letter in the office. Severus hated the fact that he had to trust his fate to a Gryffindor. Though, if he had to entrust it to someone, at least it was someone who was competent. He would have surely been condemned if Ron Weasley had been the choice.

It had been quite the argument on giving a Gryffindor the password to his room. Albus conceded slightly and said he would leave her the entire passage so she would have to read the whole thing. If she had to say the whole passage she would have a harder time figuring out the password was only a few words. Severus still didn't feel alright about it. He certainly didn't feel happy when he had to give up his only Russian copy of _The Idiot_, to be placed beside the English text in the library. It seemed that for a while all the two men did was argue. Thankfully, it wasn't always like that. They did have some very in-depth conversations about the future and what would happen with the war.

Albus was always optimistic that Potter would defeat the Dark Lord. Severus was always sceptical. He hoped that the Dark Lord would be conquered, but something about this whole thing made him uneasy. To live past this war was not really an option to Severus. His fate was sealed the moment he cast the Killing Curse. Nothing could save him now.

He had spoken his fears to Albus one night. The Headmaster had smiled at him with twinkling eyes and told him not to worry about that. Severus knew he had something up his sleeves, but like Voldemort, prying did no good.

There was no doubt in Severus's mind that Hermione Granger had gotten the horcrux. When Avery, Alecto, and Amycus failed to show up, he knew that they had failed. He was almost positive that they were dead and those bodies would never show up._ Narcissa must have been the one to kill them,_ _it's no matter they were idiots to begin with_. He had not spoken to Narcissa yet. The two would only talk every four days for less than five minutes on the two-way mirror. Severus was scheduled to talk with Narcissa in one day and he was hopeful the information was what he wanted to hear. If Granger had taken the horcrux, it would certainly be destroyed soon.

All Narcissa needed to do was get in touch with the Gryffindor and tell her the location of the talon and what the final horcrux was. The rest was up to her. He was confident, more than he felt he should have been that she would be able to figure out the location of the portrait. People said she was the brightest witch of her age, he hoped they were correct.


	7. A Way In

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Where are all the reviewers? Did you disappear? Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Seven

A Way In

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Hermione had Apparated to Hogwarts as soon as she could get past the wards surrounding Stonehenge. She had absolutely no clue _why_ Stonehenge had wards, but, she would find out…eventually. Hermione ran the entire way to the castle. She didn't stop until she was safely in her room.

At Stonehenge, when she heard the footsteps, she made sure to hide. It was good that she did because she was shocked to see Death Eaters. The strangest thing about the whole ordeal was the Death Eaters falling to the ground because of curses. She had not said anything and still they fell. When the cup had fallen out of the hands of one of the fallen Death Eaters she made a split second decision to run and grab it. Hermione didn't usually make split second decisions like that, but she had needed to in order to get the cup. She chalked it up to pure luck that she escaped the whole thing without as much as a scratch. Never being the most athletic person, she used all the adrenaline available to get the cup and get out.

For the rest of the night she sat in her room, staring at the cup of Hufflepuff. It was very old, but still shone bright gold. Two finely wrought handles stuck out of the cup. There was an engraving of a badger on it as well. Hermione didn't know exactly what the cup did magically, but she was sure there was some magic quality to it. There had to be if Voldemort selected it as a horcrux.

Late in the night, Hermione decided she would take the cup with her tomorrow to Grimmauld Place. There was a meeting slated for that evening and if they wouldn't let her into the Order of the Phoenix, she would bribe her way in with the cup. It certainly wasn't a Gryffindor thing to do, but, when she wanted something, she found a way to make it happen. She realized in that moment that she was acting like a Slytherin. _Well, I suppose Syltherin traits aren't all bad._

For some reason, being a part of the Order was something Hermione desperately wanted. She craved more information about the war and what was happening behind the scenes in the Ministry. She knew she would be a strong asset to the Order, if they would just let her in. Minerva had been a staunch opponent of letting her, Ron, and Harry in; but she knew that would all change once she walked in with Hufflepuff's cup.

The meeting had already started once she arrived. Knocking on the kitchen door, Molly Weasley eventually answered. Molly was reluctant to admit Hermione, but the young Gryffindor was persistent about the fact that she had important information. Around the kitchen table was Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Minerva, and the rest of the Order. Hermione took a deep breath and took the cup out of her robes and held it out. Only Minerva, Arthur, Remus and Kingsley reacted when they looked upon the golden cup. "Where did you get that?" Arthur asked surprised.

"I found it at Stonehenge, actually. It's a horcrux," Hermione said smartly.

Remus leaned onto the table heavily and asked, "How exactly did you come across the cup of Hufflepuff?" Tonks and Molly simultaneously gasped when they heard mention of Hufflepuff's cup.

Hermione wasn't quite sure if she should mention Professor Snape, so she decided to be as vague as possible. "Well, like I said I found it in Stonehenge."

"Yes, but how did you _know_ it was there?" Kingsley interrupted.

Hermione wrinkled her brow. "What does it matter? I found out where it was and got it. It needs to be destroyed immediately!"

"Yes, it certainly does," Arthur said.

"I want to be initiated into the Order," Hermione said seriously.

The adults just looked at her a moment before responding. "Absolutely not!" Minerva exclaimed. "You are too young."

"I don't care about my age. I've seen more than most adults have! I found the horcrux didn't I? I deserve to be initiated."

"Agreed," Fred and George said at the same time.

"I think Hermione would be a fine addition to the Order," Arthur said. Molly glared at him, but he remained steadfast in his opinion. "Now, Molly dear, it would be beneficial to have Hermione with us in the Order. She would be a valuable asset."

The adults discussed the issue for a while and they finally agreed that Hermione could be a part of the Order. After being initiated Remus asked to see the cup and Hermione handed it over. "Very well," he said as he stood up and walked out of the room.

"What!? Wait I want to see it destroyed!" Hermione complained. She wanted to witness it being destroyed, well maybe even help in its destruction. However, it was too late because Remus and Kingsley had left the room to do the deed.

Hermione was pissed off that she didn't get to help. It pissed her off even more that they didn't feel the need to inform her of the process of destroying a horcrux. She felt robbed of her hard work in getting the damned thing. A surge of magic drifted through the house and about thirty minutes later Kingsley and Remus re-entered the kitchen looking worse for the wear.

Hermione spent the rest of the meeting listening intently at the reports everyone gave. No one even mentioned the horcrux, no one even said "good job Hermione." She was seething by the end of the meeting and left in a huff. The only consolation she received was the fact that she was now a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

She couldn't stay in that house for another minute she was so annoyed. Arriving back at Hogwarts she needed to do something to get her frustrations off her mind. Things had certainly not gone as planned at the meeting. Before she knew where her feet were taking her, she had ended up at Snape's rooms. She repeated the whole phrase in Russian as best she could; she still couldn't figure out which part of it actually opened the door. Once inside she felt oddly comforted by the many books and old furniture. Delving into all the knowledge and theories that were laid out in the professor's writings helped Hermione get things off her mind. It was intellectually stimulating and right now she needed the distraction.

One of the books she had been reading look rather new. It was still full of research and information, but Hermione was having a difficult time figuring out what the information was in reference to. From what she could tell it was the base of a replenishing potion but the remaining ingredients weren't consistent with what actually went into such a potion. It was a conundrum and she really wanted to figure out what he was working on. Eventually, she fell asleep over the notebook lying on the lumpy couch.

The following morning she made it up to the Great Hall for breakfast. An owl arrived, carrying a letter for her. She did not recognize the bird and decided to wait until she had some privacy before reading the letter. Minerva had asked Hermione to meet her in the office after breakfast, so Hermione ducked into a restroom to quickly read the letter. The contents of the letter were a complete shock. Narcissa Malfoy had written her to request a meeting. Apparently she had information about the horcruxes. Hermione was wary about meeting with her and to be honest she didn't know if she fully trusted the woman. It was a tough decision, but in the end she took the chance and agreed to meet with the witch. Hermione requested that the meeting take place in a public Muggle restaurant and that Narcissa should have something to prove who she was.

Narcissa agreed to meet at Hermione's selected location in Muggle London. The following day the two women met at a quaint little restaurant. Hermione was surprised to see the normally pale witch with brown hair and eyes. At first, there was tense silence that radiated off both of them. Narcissa spoke first, repeating the Russian phrase that allowed access to Severus' rooms at Hogwarts. Hermione relaxed slightly knowing that the woman in front of her was indeed Narcissa Malfoy, but she was still aware of everything that was going on, between them and surrounding them. "Why should I trust you?"

"It's because of Severus that we were there that night at Stonehenge," Narcissa replied quietly.

"So, it was you who threw those curses?"

"That would be correct," she said prissily.

"Then what can you tell me about the remaining horcruxes?" Hermione wanted to get down to business and get all the information she could out of Narcissa. The faster she got this over the faster she could get back to Hogwarts to analyze the information and decide if it was worthy of investigating.

"The talon of Rowena Ravenclaw's favourite raven is hidden in the Muggle orphanage where the Dark Lord was raised. The final one, is a portrait, of Godric Gryffindor, the location however is unknown. The only thing we could get out of the portrait was that the copy is somewhere hidden. Severus believes it is in the castle."

Hermione was thankful that Narcissa wanted this over and done with as much as she did. How can I trust that this isn't some wild goose chase?"

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Hermione, but she didn't seem phased. "I would never betray Severus," she said fiercely.

"Until it suits you to betray him," Hermione amended for the woman seated across from her.

"Contrary to popular belief, Slytherins do have loyalty to one another beyond what is best for them all the time."

Hermione didn't really believe that, but there was something in the woman's eyes that told her that she was sincere.

"If you are still unsure, take this," Narcissa said as she reached into her bag to pull out a small mirror. "Severus wanted you to have this in case of an emergency."

Hermione accepted the gift but was positive she would _never_ use it. _Fat chance this thing will ever be used_. "If I find out any of this information is incorrect, I will come after you Narcisssa." It was of course an idle threat, but Hermione wasn't going to let Narcissa think she had power her.

"Very well. It would do you well to remember that Severus has his life at stake. I would never jeopardize him. A certain endeavour of his could prove lethal. " Narcissa stood up and left the restaurant before they could even order lunch.

Hermione decided to stay and enjoy the day in London. She had a lot of thinking to do anyways. During her meal she worked the conversation over in her mind. Narcissa had given her a lot of information that could prove to be useful. There was the talon that could be retrieved immediately, but the portrait caused some trouble. _Where could it be?_ The castle was huge and it could be placed anywhere.

Hermione was astounded by the ferocity of her defence of Severus Snape. They must be friends if she supported him so strongly. _But, what was that endeavour that could prove lethal?_ It didn't make much sense to her, but she could ponder that issue later. Right now she needed to tell Minerva about the talon.

A month passed before the Order could spare some time to get the talon from the orphanage. Tonks and Remus had gone in disguise as a couple who was looking to adopt. It took a few hours but they were able to locate it. Surprisingly it was lying on the mantle in the waiting area. Things were going quite well with the horcruxes…well, except the last one. The portrait was still missing. Minerva had sent Hermione to a few storage areas in the castle but she didn't find a thing. It was starting to annoy Hermione that she couldn't find the blasted thing.

Harry and Ron had come back from Privet Drive one night to stay at the castle and catch up with Hermione. She told them about finding the horcrux and joining the Order. Ron was shocked that she had done such a Slytherin act, but he was impressed she was able to bribe her way in. Harry had been quiet through most of the conversation. "What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked.

"You have to convince them to let us join, Hermione. I have to know more about what is going on in the wizarding world. I can't be left in the dark any longer," Harry said resolutely. He was sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor common room with his hand holding up his head.

"Of course, Harry. I think you both should be involved in what is going on." She put her hand on Harry's shoulder in a show of support. "I'll do what I can."

"Thanks," he said with a sigh.

"Hermione, how did you know where to find the cup?" Ron asked suddenly.

"I found out by accident really," she started slowly. She really did not want to have this conversation with them; it could potentially lead to Snape. The last thing she wanted to do was try to explain to them why she was in Snape's rooms and how the information came from him. "I found a letter from Dumbledore, in his office, and I followed a trail of clues that finally led me to a piece of paper with the information I needed to find the horcrux. It was simply really," Hermione hoped that downplaying the situation would satisfy their curiosity for the time being.

Thankfully, it did, for the most part. There were a few questions about Dumbledore but nothing she couldn't easily dodge. The conversation eventually switched to Harry and Ron's time with the Dursley's.

Late into the evening, Ron left to go to bed after kissing Hermione goodnight. Harry talked more about how he was feeling about Dumbledore's death and his inveterate dislike of Snape. Hermione carefully steered the conversation away from Snape. After all she had found out, and all she still needed to find out about the enigmatic professor, her view of him had changed a great deal.

After a few moments of staring contemplatively into the fire, Hermione wanted to hear Harry's opinion on something. "If you were going to hide something in the castle, where would you hide it?"

He turned his head slightly to look at her before replying lazily, "The Room of Requirement."


	8. The Final Battle

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Sorry it took so long for this chapter but it went through quite a bit of revision and my hard drive decided to not format so I had to get into a huge fight with HP and FINALLY get a new hard drive. So now that things are back to normal I will update regularly.

Leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

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Chapter Eight

The Final Battle

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A few months into the New Year the Room of Requirement finally opened the correct room that held the portrait of Godric Gryffindor. All the horcruxes were destroyed and the only thing left to do was kill Lord Voldemort. However, it wasn't as easy as it sounded. The Order had spent months trying to figure out the location of the Dark Lord with no avail.

Many things had changed in Hermione's life since the summer. Hogwarts had re-opened but only half of the students returned. Some people from year returned, mostly Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. No Slytheirns returned and a few Gryffindors remained. Harry and Ron had decided not to return to school but instead to train and develop their magical abilities on their own. They were currently living in Grimmauld Place with many members of Dumbledore's Army. Kingsley, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and other adults taught them as much as they could. It was like a crash course in Auror training.

After Dumbledore's death, Harry had found his focus and determination to get rid of Voldemort. Hermione was pleased to see he was taking this so seriously. Due to his hard work, Harry had gotten stronger and more powerful. He was now able to Apparate, transfigure into his animagus form (a Thestral) and he could cast non-verbal spells. Remus was working constantly with Harry on Occlumency, it was still a skill he needed to improve on. Sometimes he couldn't completely close his mind off, but he was improving. While Harry, Ron, and the majority of the DA were off training Hermione and the remaining DA members were back at Hogwarts learning as much as they could there.

She was at Hogwarts, taking a few classes such as Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. It had been her stipulation with the Headmistress about her return. She would take four classes of her choosing as well as taking an apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick. He had been more than happy to oblige and Hermione was learning more than she ever imagined. It had taken her a while to be able to create her own spells. She was surprised at how much work it had been and thought about Snape being able to create his own in his fifth year.

In fact, she had many thoughts about her ex-Potions Professor. Through all of his journals and research she had figured out that the replenishing potion was actually used to weaken Voldemort. It had taken her a while to discover it but she had gotten it nonetheless. It was just another thing that was starting to make Hermione think he wasn't completely guilty. Hermione had not brought up any of this to the Order, she didn't know how to. It was like she needed one more concrete thing to solidify her argument. No one was at a point in their life where they wanted to believe Snape had actually done it because Dumbledore said to.

Minerva had given Hermione her own room, but was surprised when the young Gryffindor asked for a room down near the dungeons. The Headmistress still had no clue about Hermione's almost obsession with Snape's rooms. There was a draw to it that she could not explain. All the knowledge and mystery of the room was fascinating for her sponge-like mind.

The one piece of information she was most desperate to find finally came into her possession. Hermione had been looking through the cabinets in Snape's office when she came across a locked section. She worked tirelessly for an hour before the lock finally popped open. Sitting on the shelf was a small black pensieve. Taking it out she looked down into the liquid and was sucked into a memory. Hermione had been pulled into the Forbidden Forest, right in front of Dumbledore and Snape. She knew it was just a memory, but something inside her felt like she wanted to hide. The two men were facing each other, when Dumbledore started.

"Severus, I know you know Mr. Malfoy's assignment is to find a way to kill me, but he cannot succeed."

"Yes, Albus, remind me again of what I already know," Severus snarled in an angry whisper, his features twisted with a mixture of irritation and distress. "I have told you repeatedly, he refuses even to listen, must less talk to me."

"Draco cannot be allowed to kill me. He is not a murderer. For him to kill me would mean sentencing him to a life of servitude to Tom." Albus was looking down at his black hand with a look of contemplation on his face.

"I am not ignorant of those facts, but what can you suggest that will save him from this fate? Do you not think I have spent hour upon hour sitting up at night, replaying in my mind the night I made that Unbreakable Vow? Do you not think that if there were any loophole, any possible way of avoiding this, I would have thought of it? What can be done?"

Albus took a pained breath before starting; if he was affected by Severus's hostility, he did not show it. His expression was one of a grieving man. "I'm dying Severus. The ring was too much for me and your potion has helped me this far. I fear I won't be able to make it much longer."

Seemingly too shocked to retain his dark glare, Severus' eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Albus held up his good hand to stop Severus from speaking. "If it comes down to it, I want you to kill me and spare Draco a life under the Dark Lord."

"Albus! No! I will not!" Severus was astounded that the Headmaster was asking this of him.

"Severus listen to me. If you kill me, you will be a confidant to Riddle. You will easily be able to give him the potion and be possibly able to discover the location of the remaining horcruxes."

"That leaves the problem of killing you. I can't do it," Severus said slightly shaking. Crossing his arms over his chest he amended harshly, "I _won't_ do it."

Hermione could not even imagine what was going through his mind, but from his pale face and shaking hands she knew it wasn't anything good.

"Severus…" Albus trailed off before he was interrupted.

"No! What you are asking of me is unreasonable! Haven't I done enough for you?" Severus had a pained expression on his face and he was slightly pleading.

"You must, please…"

"No! I can't! If I do this my life will be forfeit. They will give me the Dementor's Kiss for killing you!"

"I would never leave you in that position Severus. Trust that I will not leave you sentenced to death. I will set things in motion that will save you," Albus was genuine in his promise; at least that is what Hermione thought.

"How can you promise me that? I refuse Albus!" Severus didn't believe him one bit.

Albus laid his hand on Severus's shaking shoulder before saying, "Please see reason…"

"This is madness!" Severus yelled jerking away from the Headmaster. "I will not be a part of this!"

Dumbledore looked sternly at Severus, the twinkle in his eyes gone. "You will Severus. If you will not do this voluntarily then I _will_ call on your wizards debt you owe me."

Eyes widened, Severus asked in disbelief, "You wouldn't?"

"I will." Albus stated simply.

"No Albus. Please do not put me in this position," Severus pleaded.

"Severus Snape, I call on your wizards debt to save Draco Malfoy from killing me. You will kill me if there is no other way."

Severus hung his head in defeat and whispered, "Very well," as if his life was about to end.

Hermione came back into Snape's office abruptly. Tears were streaming down her face at what she had just witnessed. She never felt so bad in her life. What Dumbledore had done to Severus was incredibly sad. Hermione could not fathom what it must have felt like to be ordered to commit murder.

Wiping the tears out of her eyes she stood up with the pensieve and went back to his rooms. It was then, standing in his rooms that she realized he suffered throughout his life. She wanted to know more about him, but there was no way to get the information she so desperately craved.

Hermione's eyes widened when she realized something. _The two-way mirror!_ She set the pensieve down and quickly exited the room. The mirror was laying on her night stand and she picked it up before saying, "Severus Snape."

It took a couple of seconds before the image of Severus Snape appeared in the mirror. He looked pale and his face looked thinner than she remembered. "Yes," he said irritably.

Hermione swallowed because she really wasn't expecting him to answer. It had been a rash decision for her to call on him so quickly without thinking through what she really wanted to discuss.

"Umm…" Hermione said stupidly.

"Stop gaping like a fish, girl!" he demanded quietly.

Hermione shook her head and straightened up. "I'm sorry, sir."

Severus rolled his eyes and looked back at her waiting for her to continue. "I found your pensieve."

"You did, did you?" Severus questioned, the malice gone out of his voice.

"I understand now. I'm going to show the Order the pensieve and tell them about the replenishing potion. I'll make them understand," she said with conviction.

Severus simply looked at her before replying. "Do what you must Ms. Granger."

"Professor, where is Voldemort?"

He cringed and said harshly, "Do not say his name! Besides, I don't know _where_ exactly we are. I'm sure you can figure out why."

Hermione nodded her head in recognition. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing right now. We have to wait for the correct opportunity."

"When will that be?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, like I will be able to give you a date and time!" Severus said annoyed.

"There is no need to get snippy, sir," Hermione admonished.

"This is ridiculous. I will let you know if I find anything." With that, Severus Snape disappeared from the mirror, leaving Hermione in her room to think once again.

The Order of the Phoenix was meeting that evening and Hermione needed to get her arguments ready so she could convince them of Severus's innocence. The topic was indeed difficult to breech, and once she did she was met with outrage. They all thought he was completely guilty, the most outspoken on the issue being Harry. Hermione finally shushed him and she let them view the pensieve.

Most people were shocked when they pulled out of the memory. They were slowly coming around to Hermione's view on things, but some people took more convincing; such as Mad-Eye Moody, Ron, and Harry. It was difficult for them to give up years of hatred for one man. Once Hermione told them about the replenishing potion they started to be less vile towards the man. They still weren't one hundred percent on Severus's side, but at least she was able to get the Order to realize there was more going on than they originally expected.

During the meeting the two-way mirror started to grow warm in her pocket. She excused herself and pulled the item out of her pocket. There was Snape looking very dishevelled and worried. "What is wrong, Professor?"

"Narcissa and Draco were tracked by a few items I took from the manor for them. I only found out and in doing so was tracked myself. I have been discovered and we are on the run. We still have the item with us and we will move to Hogwarts. Get as many people together as you can and meet us there. The Dark Lord _will_ be there," he said quickly.

"Alright. Be safe," Hermione replied anxiously.

Severus looked at her for a moment with an odd look on his face before he nodded and swept out of view. Hermione rushed into the kitchen and looked at everyone. "Get everyone to Hogwarts now. Severus was found out and he's making his way there. He said Voldemort will be there. We must act now! This is what we've been waiting for!" In her rush she didn't realize she had said his first name. No one else really seemed to notice it, except Ginny, who sat there and gave Hermione an odd look before she jumped up and ran from the room to get ready for the final battle.

People were rushing from the room, gathering a few items they would need, floo calling other members, sending Patronuses to some, and Apparating to Hogwarts to prepare. Hermione had rushed to Apparate to the school. She was going to help gather the younger students into the Great Hall so they would be out of harms way as much as possible. Once she was done with that she ran to find Harry and Ron. They all hugged each other and tried to support each other as much as possible. There was no guarantee that they would make it through this but they were still hopeful. Ron and Hermione looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before hugging. They had decided to take a break from each other because things weren't really working out. It had been a promise between the two that they would see other people with the possibility of one day reconnecting.

Harry and Ron decided to stay in the castle before showing themselves. They wanted to make sure Voldemort was really there before taking action. Hermione had run to the gate to keep a lookout for Snape, Narcissa, and Draco. It didn't take long before Hermione heard the crack of Apparition. The three ran as fast as they could towards the gate and Hermione opened it just in time for them to run by. As soon as they made it on the grounds, Hermione heard many cracks of Apparition. She had purposely left the gate un-warded so they Death Eaters would come on the grounds.

The four of them quickly ran to the castle to let the Order know that the Death Eaters had arrived. Everyone was too concerned about what was to happen next to really care that Snape, Narcissa, and Draco were there. Snape walked up to Minerva and addressed her, "Minerva, the Dark Lord is coming. He wants to see us dead. The potion has weakened him considerably. If Potter can get close enough to him to deliver the blow he will be defeated."

Minerva considered the man standing before her, "Severus, I am truly sorry for not looking into this matter myself. I shouldn't have believed that you would do something like that to Albus. Please, forgive me."

Severus stood there and looked into the old witch's eyes before replying, "Ask me that after this is over, Minerva."

She nodded and then pulled him into a hug. "Contrary to popular belief, I have missed you, Severus."

"Thank you, Minerva." He replied unsteadily. Severus was unprepared for her show of affection and he awkwardly brought one arm up to pat her back.

"He's here!" Harry yelled to everyone. Order members were flooding out the entrance of the castle to take the Death Eaters head on. The fighting was long and took well into the night before anyone could gauge how the fight was going. There were casualties on both sides and no one was giving up.

Hermione had just taken down a Death Eater when she was punched in the face by someone. She was on the ground holding the right side of her face. Opening her good eye she found herself staring at Lucius Malfoy. He had a horrible grin on his face and his wand pointed right at her. "I have been waiting a long time for this, Mudblood," he sneered.

But, before he could say anything else he was hit with a spell in the back. He fell straight down and Hermione rolled out of the way to avoid being crushed. She got quickly to her feet to see Severus striding quickly towards her. "Are you alright?" he questioned.

"Yes, I think so," Hermione replied.

He looked down at Lucius's prone form and was about to cast the Killing Curse when he heard a scream, "Severus stop!" Turning his head he saw Narcissa running toward him.

"Let me handle my dear husband," she said with conviction.

"Very well." Severus grabbed Hermione by the arm and led her away from the angry witch.

"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned.

"Getting away from here. Potter and Voldemort have started to duel near the Quidditch Pitch," with that he let go of Hermione and strode towards the pitch. She followed running to catch up with him.

"What are we going to do?"

"Intercept as many Death Eaters as we can." He looked around and before she could speak a word he had cast a curse at an approaching Death Eater who was unaware of his position. From underneath the Quidditch bleachers they had a good view of the battle between Harry and Voldemort, as well as a secure place to watch for approaching Death Eaters.

Hermione was about to cast a spell at Draco, but she was stopped by Severus who stood in front of her. "No, Miss Granger. Let Draco do what he must. He will not harm Potter. It's the prophecy."

She pointed her wand down and watched as Draco approached behind the Dark Lord. "Voldemort!" Draco yelled courageously.

Harry and Voldemort both stopped fighting and looked at Draco. Voldemort had an evil sneer on his face as he realized who was in front of him. "Ah, Draco! Just who I wanted to see. I suppose I could take time away from Potter to kill you first."

Draco reacted as quickly as Voldemort did and they both cast a hex. Voldemort wanted to have a little fun with the youngest Malfoy before he killed them. Their spells hit and a clash ensued as to who would be more powerful. Harry watched for a moment before he realized that Draco was weakening Voldemort with his spell. He moved quickly and before anything else could happen, he yelled the Killing Curse and it shot towards Voldemort who looked back in surprise at the last minute. The last thing Voldemort saw a green light hit him square in the chest. He erupted into flames and burned to ashes. Draco was flung back about fifty feet and landed on his back. Harry fell to the ground in relief and Hermione rushed towards him. Before she could make it to him she heard a shrill voice yell, "Potter!"

She stopped in shock as Bellatrix Lestrange stood in fury looking at Harry. She had her wand raised and she looked menacing. "Bellatrix!" Severus yelled from behind Hermione. He walked by her, robes billowing as he put himself between Potter and Bellatrix.

"Ah, Snape, the traitor. It would be my pleasure to kill you. Look what you've done! You've helped that brat kill the Dark Lord!" She was going even crazier now, not knowing what to do.

"Yes, it's about time he died, just like you," Severus snarled.

Hermione had made her way to Harry and helped him up. They were trying to get as far away from the duelling pair as much as possible. "You are letting them get away Severus!"

"Indeed I am."

She was so infuriated she shot a curse at him. He easily deflected it and returned a spell that knocked her off her feet. Before Severus could do anything else, Neville Longbottom ran up to the witch and kicked her in the face. "You killed my parents!" He had his wand aimed at Bellatrix's heart and looked at Snape who simply nodded at him and walked away.

Minister Scrimgeour and his Aurors had arrived just after Harry defeated the Dark Lord. They quickly set to capture as many Death Eaters as possible. Severus was making his way up to the castle when he was taken to the ground by four Aurors. His wand flew from his hand and he struggled to push them off. Hermione watched as they bound him and started taking him away. "Stop! You can't arrest him! He helped us!"

Hermione tried to reason with the Aurors but they were having none of it. They were following orders and Severus Snape was to be arrested. "There will be a trial for him as soon as possible. He will not get away with the murder of Albus Dumbledore," one of them said.

They practically pushed her out of the way and walked to the Apparition point. She watched as Severus was taken away. Before they Apparated, Severus looked at Hermione and sent her the image of her saying she was going to prove his innocence to the Order. A feeling of gratitude washed through her and she recognized it for what it was; a thank you.


	9. The Trial of Severus Snape

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

GryffJr: I realized in your reply that I didn't tell you how I translated the quote. My beta did that for me. She also helped me out in the next couple of chapters about Russia. I hope you like them and it stays true to St. Petersburg. You will have to let me know; I'd really appreciate it. 

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Chapter Nine

The Trial of Severus Snape

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The aftermath of the war led to hectic times in the wizarding world. There were many trials of captured Death Eaters who were not able to escape, like last time. They were sentenced to life in Azkaban or given the Dementor's kiss. Severus Snape was one of the last people to get a trial date, which was slated for June 15.

Spending months in Azkaban had taken its toll on Severus. He was thinner than a man should be, his skin was paler than normal, his hair was greasy and un-kept, and he had a scraggly beard growing. Very few people visited Severus, except for Narcissa, Hermione, and Minerva. Severus didn't want to see anyone and against his will they visited anyways.

Narcissa would tell him everything going on in the wizarding world, especially the trials of their former associates. She was positive he would get out of it and she even promised him she would come to his defence. She had gotten lucky and convinced the Wizenmagot of her innocence. Draco never came under investigation which was a relief. Hermione had stood up for Narcissa as well, which had solidified her innocence.

Narcissa talked about Hermione to Severus and told him all the things Hermione had done for her. He wasn't quite sure why she was telling him all of this, but he was very surprised that she was saying such nice things about Granger. Whenever Hermione had visited him she would tell him about the defence she had come up with for him. She was going to try and convince them the same way she had the Order. There was a long list of people who were willing to stand up for him and he was always so dumbfounded whenever she told him the people who were going to speak up for him.

The biggest surprise was Harry Potter. Severus had no clue why he would do such a thing, but he was thankful, even if he would never speak the words aloud. Hermione would always try to bring him some food from Hogwarts and devour it. It was their custom that she would come in and let him eat before she would begin her long speech to him. Sometimes she would sneak in books for him to read. He would sometimes thank her, but most of the time he sat there in silence and waited for her to leave.

He wasn't sure what to do with her there. It was odd for him really. He would sit there and listen to her go on and on. Severus realized she liked to talk, but it wasn't about inane things; it was important and she had pretty good arguments. Their discussions, well her monologues really, were not always about his impending trial, but of her research. Sometimes she would talk about potions to try and get him to join in on the conversation, but he never joined in. The only time he would say anything would be when she left. He felt like he should thank her every time she visited, just so she wouldn't stop. Being in that cell alone was the worst thing possible for him and if three people were going to visit him he would thank them in hopes they wouldn't stop their visits.

Minerva would also come and visit him frequently. She would tell him about things going on at Hogwarts and anything else of importance. Minerva always talked like he would be getting out of Azkaban and talked about him teaching Defence again. He would never say much except a nod of his head. Most of the time, Minerva sat there with him just so he wouldn't be alone. It was as if she knew he just wanted someone to be there. She also knew he would talk when he was ready.

Severus was never an optimistic man, and in this case he gave himself no hope. He was certain he would end up in Azkaban for the rest of his life. It would just follow his life pattern of misery. The only joy he ever received was in those brief visits with Narcissa, Hermione, and Minerva. He would never acknowledge it of course, but he still enjoyed those rare moments where he felt human again.

The Dementors did drain him, but he didn't have as many good memories as most people. Taking a trick out of his deceased enemy's hat, he would occasionally transfigure into his animagus form. One time, Hermione walked into the cell and almost freaked out when Severus was no where to be seen. She didn't want to alarm the guards so she kept quiet and sat down heavily on his cot. There was a small lump under the blankets and she startled it. A fox ran out from under the covers and across the cell. She looked at the dark fox before it transfigured into Severus Snape. Hermione let out a little squeak and covered her mouth quickly. A light chuckle escaped his lips and shocked himself and Hermione with the sound. She rather enjoyed his laugh and she told him that.

"Yes, well, there are few reasons to chuckle here," he said seriously as he came and sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Professor. It's just that I never expected a fox to leap out from under the covers and transfigure into you," she said with a small smile.

Severus noticed her smile and straightened his back. He wasn't quite sure if she was joking on him or not. "Stranger things have happened, I suppose," he replied gruffly.

"Indeed." They sat there for a few moments in silence before Hermione faced Severus and started talking about the book she had lent him. He was content just to hear her talk excitedly about the information she remembered. Occasionally, she would ask him for his opinion and he would reply just long enough to get her started again. It was odd to him that she would come here just to talk to him about History, but, it comforted him as well. At first Severus didn't even want to hear a word from her mouth. She didn't heed his protests and kept talking. Eventually, he got accustomed to her chatter and found that once he listened he found she had some good arguments. It helped that she didn't sound as bossy as she had while studying at Hogwarts. She told him all about her final exams and how she would be returning to Hogwarts the following year to continue her apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick. He was happy, a foreign feeling for him, that she found something to be passionate about and was enjoying studying in detail.

They had been drawn into a pattern that they both grew familiar with. With each passing day, Severus knew his life was coming to an end. As much as he didn't want to think about it, he longed to be free to do as he pleased. He was dreading each and every day. There were conflicting feelings running through his mind all the time. He longed for freedom but always pushed those thoughts out of his mind because he thought it was too farfetched to imagine. Life in Azkaban was an equally dark idea; the thought that he would be there until his death…it was frightening.

It was difficult for him to think of anything other than his fate. Reading was a welcomed distraction, but in Azkaban it was difficult to read without interruption. The book would have to be hidden when guards or Dementors came by, there was insufficient light, and the occasional scream would jar you out of concentration. As much as Severus dreaded the trial date he would also be very thankful when the trial began. One day he sat there thinking of his life and he became determined to do everything possible to be acquitted. There was no way he could survive life in Azkaban.

Albus Dumbledore had faith that Severus would be cleared of his murder. Severus needed to have that same faith, even if it was hard to reason. How he could convince the members of the Wizenmagot of his innocence was a mystery to him, but Hermione seemed to have the faith he needed. It always came back to Hermione in his mind. The moment he realized he had started calling her Hermione, in his mind at least, was a shock. Severus didn't remember when that had started but he knew it was going to be a long time until he started to say her first name aloud. She had always called him professor and he wasn't going to correct her now. It was just another foreign feeling, well action, to him. Needless to say, Severus had a lot to think about while he was alone.

The day finally came when his trial was to begin. He hated feeling nervous and insecure, and that was exactly how he was feeling. Severus had gone up against the Wizenmagot before, but that was when he had the backing of a living Albus Dumbledore. The only people he had behind him now were Order members, and combined, he didn't think they had enough pull as Albus did. Severus was ushered into the court room by two Aurors where he was unceremoniously placed in an uncomfortable wooden chair.

He tried to remain as calm as possible and sat there with an unruffled air about him. He started to carefully and inconspicuously search out familiar faces as if to make a mental count of those who would support him. It didn't take him long to find Minerva and Hermione sitting side by side leaning close to one another, whispering back and forth. Severus was also surprised to see Harry Potter, Remus Lupin, and a host of other Order members he didn't expect to have support him. Whenever Hermione told him who would defend him he never believed her. It was just too farfetched.

The moment the trial began an intense stifling air filled the room. There were heated debates on both side of the argument and no one wanted to give an inch. Every time someone stood up to denounce him he felt like someone was stabbing him in the chest. Yes, he had made mistakes in his life, the biggest one joining the Dark Lord, but he had made up for it by assisting the Order. The people who were against him started sounding like broken records while those who supported him kept coming up with reasons why he was innocent. Things were looking up and once Hermione stood up she literally hit the ball out of the park.

She told them about the replenishing potion that aided in the Dark Lord's weakness, allowing Harry to have the upper hand. At that point, the Boy-Who-Lived stood up and showed his support for Severus by agreeing with Hermione and stating that he couldn't have done it without the help of the Potions Master. Hermione then showed the members of the court the memory in the pensieve. Those that were wavering on supporting Severus were turned when they saw the memory. However, it was still refuted by those who just wanted him in Azkaban.

Eventually, the Wizenmagot came to a vote and decided that Severus Snape was acquitted. There were cheers and boos, but Severus didn't notice any of it. He sat in his chair dumbstruck. His limbs just weren't functioning; he couldn't even blink. He was free. _Free_. Severus was brought out of his reverie by a light touch on his shoulder. Numbly he looked up into the brown eyes of Hermione Granger; she was standing there smiling with unshed tears in her eyes. "You're free, Professor," she said quietly enough for him to hear it.

Severus looked down at his hands before saying quietly, "Severus."

"Pardon?" she questioned.

"Call me Severus. You above anyone else deserve that." Severus was rather nervous and for a moment it was as if they were the only two people in the room. A flash of light filled his eyes to bring him out of his stupor. They both looked at the camera and Severus quickly stood up. He needed to get out of there and now. Hermione quickly grabbed his arm and led him out of the court room. They were hounded by reporters and photographers and after a few quick turns they were out of harms way. The two practically ran out of the building using a not-too-often used exit.

Hermione stopped running and looked around quickly before she looked up at Severus who was gazing down at her with a perplexed look on his face. "Where to, Severus?"

"Preferable, someplace they won't find us," he said, just as he noticed a reporter turning the corner and seeing them.

Before he could offer a solution she wrapped her arms around him and they Disapparated with a loud crack.


	10. A Feeling of Ease

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing. I have to give her mucho props for all her help with this chapter. I have no clue about Russia, so everything about Russia is all from her. I loved the idea she gave me and I ran with it so hopefully you guys like it.

If you are wondering, or forgot, this is a response to the fanfiction contest at Third Floor Corridor. If you want to check the site out, the link is on my info page. It's a great place so check it out!

Alright, let's try to break 50 reviews this chapter. It would be awesome and I will give a shout out to the 50th reviewer. Perhaps I might just send them a little paragraph from Chapter 11…Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Ten

A Feeling of Ease

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Severus knew they had Apparated, but he was a little shaken at being taken away so suddenly. He looked down at bushy haired witch who still had her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and wondered where exactly they were. Removing her arms from around him he looked up in wonder at the Kremlin. _She brought me here?_ _How did she know?_ Walking ahead he stared up at the huge structure, a structure that he had visited often during his apprenticeship in Russia. In front of him was a Russian soldier guarding the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Looking back at Hermione he raised one eyebrow, as if silently asking for her to explain.

She cleared her throat before beginning, "Yes, well, I found out you had an apprenticeship in Russia and this really was the only place I could think of."

Severus nodded his head and started to walk around as if he knew every step he was taking was a step he had taken years before…before he was in the service of the Dark Lord. A time when he felt his freest, and oddly enough, it was the happiest time of his life. "I did have an apprenticeship in Russia; though not in Moscow, in St. Petersburg."

"Should we go there?" she questioned.

"I have a small home in St. Petersburg where we can stay. The train will get us there in about seven hours. I suggest we eat and then head to the train station for the eleven o'clock train." With that, he started walking towards the entrance of Manezhe Square, leaving a confused Hermione standing there. She had thought it was a good idea to bring him here, but she wasn't quite sure about it now. Perhaps it was the idea of being in a country she had very little knowledge about, or possibly the idea of being in a foreign country with her ex-Professor.

Hurrying to catch up with him, she occasionally looked up at the Kremlin as if recording it in her memory. He looked down at her as she looked up at the building in wonder. Idly he thought maybe that was what he looked like when his teacher, Master Karabinarov, brought him to Moscow for the first time. It had been quite an experience and he learned so much history it was fascinating. Of course, once they returned to St. Petersburg he was quizzed on all he had soaked in about the city.

As they were walking, he heard Hermione say breathlessly, "What a funny looking building."

Looking at the building she was talking about, he knew exactly what she meant. It was sometimes hard to tell but if you looked closely you could see one half of the building was built in a different style architecture than the other half. To himself he said quietly, "Yes, those silly architectures were too scared to clarify which of the two architectural designs Lenin preferred."

She heard him and quirked her head in his direction before returning her gaze back to the building. They had finally reached the entrance to the mall beneath Manezhe Square and Severus turned to look at the Gryffindor walking quickly to keep up with him. "I hope you have some money. Unfortunately I didn't have much need for money during my visit in Azkaban."

"Oh, yes sir, I have some right here," she said as she dug into her robes to retrieve her bag of money. "I only have a few p's, so I guess I will need to exchange them for rubbles. Is there any place I can do that?"

"Do you have your passport as well?" he questioned sceptically.

"I certainly do," she said as she pulled out her passport.

Scowling slightly he nodded his head and led the way to the nearest exchange point. Once they had more than enough rubbles for dinner and the train ride, Severus led the way to the restaurant of his choice. They had a small dinner consisting of blini (crapes layered with sour crème in the middle) and winter salad.

After dinner they made their way toward the Moskva Oktiabrskaia train station; though at a slower pace after Hermione practically begged Severus to slow down. Once they were inside the station he walked up to the ticket booth and asked, in Russian, the cost. "For both of us, it will be 3,000 rubbles," he said once he returned to Hermione.

"Ok, here we go." Hermione fished out the correct change and handed it over to Severus, who turned back to purchase the tickets.

She followed him to the correct train and once they were inside they sat down in a pair of seats facing each other, in their overnight compartment. The window was beside them and Hermione could see many people walking around; boarding and disembarking other trains. She couldn't help but watch as some people conversed animatedly or went about their business.

Severus sat down and leaned his head back against the wool green chair. With his eyes closed he thought about his day and how pleasant it felt to be free. Completely free of having to report to anyone or pretend to be someone he wasn't. It was an odd sensation, one he hadn't felt in years. It was as if he could actually feel at ease with his life; like he didn't always have to keep his eyes open or make sure he wasn't being followed. He had missed living like this; even if he had only been free for a few moments. The train had pulled out of the station and they were on their way.

Suddenly, his head snapped forward and he glared at the girl sitting across from him. "You silly little girl, my wand would have been beneficial to us in our predicament," he said tersely.

Hermione simply looked at him, fuming inside, and then rolled her eyes. "Honestly, like I would have taken you this far without claiming your wand first," she declared with an attitude. With that she held out her hand and an ebony wand appeared in her palm. He eyed it suspiciously for a moment before taking in his right hand gently. As soon as he held it he felt a surge of familiar magic flow through his body. It certainly was his wand. Severus realized he had missed his wand and was thankful to have it back in his possession. He felt safer somehow.

Now that he actually had time to sit down and think about a few things he remembered her comment about his apprenticeship. Narrowing his eyes, he asked quietly, "How exactly did you know I had an apprenticeship in Russia?"

He watched as she squirmed in her seat a little and wrung her hands before boldly looking him in the eyes. It was as if she decided to just come out with the whole truth and nothing but the truth…well almost. "I happened to come across a journal of yours that discussed your apprenticeship."

She was just sitting there as if nothing was amiss. As if it was alright for her to have gone through his things. Oh, he was angry alright. _How dare she?! Those journals were not just laying about!_ "And how exactly did you come across said journal?" he questioned almost menacingly.

"Well," she started smartly, "I was _trying_ to find more information about why I was sent to your rooms. I was hoping there would be pertinent information in the journals and there was. Though, really only useful until now," she ended contemplatively.

_The nerve! What the…that little…I should just hex her and get it over with._ He was struggling internally about what to do to her for invading his privacy. He was so angry he didn't know how to react. "Meddling Gryffindor," was all he could choke out under his breath. It wasn't quiet enough because Hermione heard him and she scowled at him darkly.

"Well, this is just such a pleasant thank you!" she said sarcastically.

"This is certainly no joking matter, _Miss Granger_. I don't take kindly to people rummaging around my personal affects. Anything you could have needed would not have been locked up in a cabinet."

"Oh, they were _hardly_ locked," she argued before being cut off.

"They were closed, and the journals were out of plain sight…" before Severus continued Hermione butted in.

"Besides! If I hadn't looked at your journals I wouldn't have known you were working on a counterproductive replenishing potion for Voldemort."

He hissed at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Do NOT say his name!" he seethed.

Rolling her eyes she started again. "He is dead! He can't do anything to you!"

"That is beside the point!" He continued angrily, "The point is you going through my personal journals! Those were completely private and there was no need for you to go through them like that!"

"What do you want an apology!" she yelled back. If he wanted a fight she could certainly oblige.

"I knew I shouldn't have allowed Albus to give you the information to my rooms!" They were both leaning over staring at each other angrily and Severus was about to continue his tirade when two very tall, very large and hairy Russian gentlemen walked into the compartment. They looked at each other and shrugged before sitting down, one beside Hermione and one beside Severus. The two sat there seething, glaring daggers at each other. Simultaneously they acted; Severus sat back and crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl plastered on his face while Hermione crossed her legs and gazed out the window as if nothing in the world was wrong.

An hour later, they still weren't talking or even looking at each other. The two Russians had decided to go to bed and had pulled down the cots adjoining the left side of the compartment. As soon as the two were settled in and practically asleep Severus stood up and pulled down the bottom cot on the right side of the compartment. Hermione watched him and said, "Why do you get the bottom cot?"

"Quite simply because I'm pulling the cot down," he said sarcastically. He added a few moments later once he lay down, "And because I'm currently occupying the cot. Unless you would like to join me, the top cot is awaiting your arrival."

Hermione stood with a huff and pulled down the top cot with as much force as she could muster. Severus wanted to laugh at her attempt to try to break the damned thing. She climbed atop and he could hear her moving around trying to find a comfortable position. He almost smiled that she was having so much difficulty, but he knew soon enough things would get worse. Putting his hands behind his head he closed his eyes and started to fall into a deep sleep. Before he did however, he saw her head poke down from her cot to look at him. He heard her huff before she settled back down on her cot. The corner's of Severus' lips twitched for a second before going stoic again. _She must be having difficultly sleeping with the Russians locked in a snoring battle. Too bad for her; the meddling chit, it's the least she deserves for poking around where she shouldn't have_. With that final thought, he slowly sunk into the sleep he so desperately needed.

Severus was awakened by the slowing down of the train. He knew they were arriving so he got up and stretched. Their two hairy friends were gone, which he was thankful for. There was more room for him to move around and stretch. Once he stood up and cracked his back he turned around to see Hermione staring red eyed at him, as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. "I had a wonderful sleep. Didn't you Miss Granger?" he asked sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes and before she could retort he said, "You might want to get up, we will be arriving soon and I don't want to spend all day getting to my home." As an afterthought he added rather meanly. "You might want to do something with that rat's nest."

Hermione looked like she was going to kill him or maybe try to rip his head off. Either way he found it rather comical. The two left the train station in silence; not speaking one word, or looking at one another. It seemed they were at a standoff again and neither one cared to break it.

They jumped on the Metro and took the line until the Lesnaya stop. From there they crammed into Bus # 80 return onto the Metro at Ploschad Muzhestva until Akademichiskaya, Severus's neighbourhood. When they stepped off the bus Severus muttered "We shall return to the Lesnaya wizarding market later to collect supplies." Hermione nodded and started looking around again, memorizing everything while Severus led them past the main street, and deeper into the neighbourhood. Since St Petersbury is so far north, at times it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. To combat the dreariness, Russians paint their houses in cheery colours. They walked toward the end of the street and there were two houses left, a pink house and a yellow house. Severus walked right up to the yellow house, unlocked the door and walked in.


	11. Life in Pastels

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

No, it's not over yet. Here it is. Sorry it took so long to update. I hope you all enjoy it! Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Eleven

Life in Pastels

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Hermione was dying. Literally. She wanted to explode with laughter. Severus Snape lived in a pastel yellow house! It was probably the funniest thing she could imagine. When they were walking down the street and she realized there were only two houses left; a pink and yellow house, she hoped to all the deities in the universe that he lived in the pastel pink house. She was slightly disappointed when he turned towards the yellow one, but it was still comical that he lived in a pastel house. Who would have thought that Severus Snape, the most dreaded professor at Hogwarts, the Bat of the Dungeons, would live in a pastel house?

She couldn't get over it. All her thoughts were centred on the pastel yellow house. There was a small porch that ran along the front of the house. A large wooden door was in the centre, with long flat windows that stretched to the edges of the house. Along with the door and gutters, the windows were surrounded by ornate edgings in white paint. The outside of the house was beautiful and the only thing comical about it was the fact that Severus Snape called this place home.

Once inside, Severus went directly to the library, on the right side of the house, sat at his desk and started to sort post that had accumulated in his absence. Hermione was left standing in the doorway to look at the house. To say she was shocked was an understatement. To her it was gorgeous; it was exactly what she would have wanted in a place. There were no standing walls, except in the back of house, where she could see three doors spaced along the back wall. The rest was open space.

Severus was instantly lost in his post and quickly forgot about Hermione. "Is it alright if I look around?" she asked curiously. He distractedly waved his hand in approval and she started glancing around to get better acquainted with her surroundings.

The whole right side of the house tripled as a library, den, and office area with book cases lining the walls from floor to ceiling. Severus was seated at a mahogany desk which was placed in front of the window by the door. In the middle of the room was a black leather lounge chair with a small coffee table beside it; which had a stack of books, coasters, and an empty tea cup, with lemon peals still in it. Towards the back of the room was a large table cluttered with parchments and more books. Hermione assumed that desk was full of his research papers and the like. Heavy, dark drapes were hung over the windows to prevent the light from damaging the books. Small lamps were placed on the two desks and the coffee table to provide adequate support for the room.

A living room to Hermione's left was set with a long dark green suede couch (acting as a divider between the living room and library) that was faded light green from the light as well as areas that he liked to occupy the most. A low-to-the-ground wooden well-worn coffee table sat in front of it. The walls in the living room were also lined with books; however the drapes on this side of the house were open unlike their counterparts in the library.

Separating the kitchen and the living room was a waist high bookshelf full of books which doubled as a tabletop for eating. Two round topped wooden stools sat on the other side for dining. The walls to the right and opposite of the tabletop were lined with wall and floor cabinets. There was plenty of countertop space, but few appliances were visible. Between the cabinets and the tabletop bar was a wooden food prep table with drawers. The bottom shelf was stacked with baking sheets and hanging from the ceiling was an oval pot rack with copper pots handing from it.

To the right of the centre table was a refrigerator with two shelves to its left. On the opposite side of the shelves was a round fireplace with a stainless-steel circular range hood hanging from the ceiling to catch the smoke. Hermione had noticed three doors along the back wall but decided not to pry.

"Severus, where is the bathroom?" Hermione turned and asked.

Severus gazed up from reading his post to see Hermione standing in the kitchen. "Through the hallway behind you," he said with a nod of his head in the direction of the hallway that lead to the first of three doors.

He went back to his post and she entered the door from the kitchen. Hermione walked down the hallway with three doors. One was directly in front of her leading her outside. There were two doors on the left wall. The first door had a shower and sink. The second one was exactly what she needed, a toilet. She thought it was rather silly to have this kind of set up, but she would deal with it.

Once she was finished washing her hands, she walked into the library where Severus was. Hermione walked around looking at the books neatly placed on the shelves. Grabbing one about Advance Transfiguration, she settled down in the comfy leather seat in the middle of the room. She noticed Severus look up when she sat down, but decided to ignore him and began to read.

Hermione was still upset about their argument on the train. Plus, she was still pissed about how he treated her on the ride; mainly their sleeping arrangements. Now that they were settled in she was going to confront him about his behaviour sooner or later. He certainly wasn't going to get off the hook that easy. No one was going to treat her so disrespectfully. Not even Severus Snape.

Lost in her thoughts and the book, it took her awhile to notice Severus standing in front of her, his hands crossed over his chest. He was leering down at her; there wasn't a feature on his face that looked happy. "Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"I see my _pretty_ pastel house has received your illustrious approval considering you've made your appraisal then settled into my library as if it were your very own. I do hope the title you are currently engrossed in is challenging enough for our resident know-it-all. Would you care for me to make you a pot of chai whilst I run to the grocers for food supplies? I wouldn't want to burden such a young and enlightened woman with such a trivial housekeeping task. So, I will return shortly and do continue to make yourself at home, since you clearly have done so already." Before Hermione could reply, he swept away and left the house.

She sat there a moment or two in shock with her mouth agape. _How dare he! What did he want me to do? Just stand there in the doorway until he was finished with his post?! Absurd! What a jerk!_ She was too annoyed to read so she slammed the book closed and stood up. Hermione didn't know what to do with herself but she needed to do something to get that infuriating man out of her mind.

In order for her to get her anger out she needed to do something physical. Since she couldn't use Severus as a punching bag, she decided to do some yoga in the backyard. Walking out the back door she stepped into a beautiful garden. To her right and left were small herb gardens. Two stone pathways led from the back door; one to the back left corner of the yard to the potions garden and the other to the back right leading to a wooden building. Hermione got so caught up in her yoga routine she completely lost track of time. When she realized that it had been a while, she decided to go back inside, hoping to make it back before he did. Before she reached the back door, however, she decided to walk around the house to better view the neighbours lovely flower garden. Unfortunately, Severus was standing in the kitchen glaring at her when she entered from the front door. He was already in the process of putting away the groceries and instantly started in on her.

"Miss Granger, I've been remiss. Thank you. I've managed to neither die via Potter and Black's schoolyard torture nor as an active Death Eater. I managed to stay out of Azkaban after the first war and then survive another war as a double agent as well as a stint in Azkaban. My house has managed to stay intact for that amount of time as well, yet you saw fit to leave my abode unwarded and unlocked so anyone could ransack it. Again, I do thank you," he said harshly.

"I didn't leave! I was practicing yoga in the back garden to relax!" she retorted angrily.

Severus scoffed before continuing. "Be that as it may, I would like to not be burgled when I've only just returned to an intact household."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Yes, she knew it was a silly thing to do to leave the front door unlocked, but she really wasn't gone. The yoga exercises had calmed her but she couldn't help but snap, "I gave you your wand back to use, not to shove up your ass."

Severus simply glared at her. "Kindly remove it," she said quietly as she walked into the kitchen and began to help unpack the groceries. She noticed that there was no response from him. Hermione put a few things away, but quickly noticed that Severus would come behind her and move the groceries she had put away. Smiling to herself she started to put things in places she knew were completely wrong. To give him some credit, he tried not to be too obvious about what he was doing and he wasn't belittling her about it.

Once they were finished Severus leaned against the counter and pinched the bridge of his nose. Tired he said, "As I wouldn't want one of your potions, I do not want you handling the creation of our meal. Continue with the book you so rudely borrowed."

Hermione noticed his pained expression and decided not to reply to his comment. She had always been interested in other cultures and learning their customs. Watching Severus cook was going to be interesting but she knew she couldn't sit in there and see what he was doing. Picking up her book she settled onto the couch in the living room so she could discretely watch him.

Severus had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and started making dough. As the dough was chilling in the refrigerator he pulled out some apples, carrots, and a head of cabbage and began to thinly julienne them. Hermione had stopped reading all together and watched as he expertly cut the fruits and vegetables. She couldn't keep her eyes off of his hands; they were working deftly and all the pieces were cut the exact same width and length. Once the fruits and vegetables were cut he drew out some potatoes and started peeling them. Pulling out the meat, he used a meat grinder, that had been hiding in one of the cabinets, to mince it. When Severus retrieved the chilled dough he rolled it out thinly and cut pieces out. The meat was placed in the middle of the dough and the ends were pinched. Once all the meat and dough were used up, he used his wand to freeze the ravioli-looking creations.

He took down two big pots and filled them with water. Both pots were placed in the fire stove and once they boiled, he added the frozen ravioli into one pot and the potatoes in another. He finished preparing the salad and cooked vegetables just as the potatoes and ravioli was ready.

Hermione went back to pretend to read when he started to set the table and she didn't see him complete the meal. When she thought things were ready she closed the book and walked into the kitchen. Hermione was delighted when she looked down at her plate. There were a good dozen of the small meat ravioli with sour cream on top, potatoes, salad, and vegetables. Severus silently poured her a glass of white wine and tucked into his meal.

Hermione noticed he was ignoring her but she decided to thank him anyways for the wonderfully delicious meal. _This is going to be a long night_, she thought to herself when he didn't reply. She drank down her first cup of wine quickly and filled her cup again. Idly, she noticed that Severus was quickly drinking his wine as well. Clearly they were both tired of each other, and Hermione was going to be thankful when the night was over.

"The ravioli is delicious," Hermione tried to draw out some conversation.

"We are not in Italy, madam, this is Russia. The 'ravioli,' as you call it is pelmeni."

Thankful he had fixed such a delightful meal; she kept her tongue for the rest of the dinner and made sure she finished first so she could help clean up the kitchen. They both managed to clean the kitchen without getting in each others way too much. Severus carefully folded a dish cloth and set it on the counter before going into his room and shutting the door with force. Hermione looked at the door and sighed before plopping down on the couch and stretching out. She needed to sleep this day off.


	12. Hot Days and Horny Nights

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Twelve

Hot Days and Horny Nights

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Severus leaned warily against the back of his door and sighed heavily. It had been an extremely trying day and he was in desperate need of sleep. Coming back to Russia was something he needed; but in order to get any satisfaction from it he actually had to relax. Walking over to his window, he looked into the back yard at his banya. He didn't need another moment to think about it; that was where he needed to be. During his time as a Death Eater he would long to come to Russia just to get in his banya to help relax his muscles. However, the years leading up to the war afforded him no time to escape the madness of his life.

A flick of his wrist and a non-verbal spell took care of activating the warming charms for the wooden sauna. Severus took his time undressing and putting away all of his clothes. Pulling out a white towel from one of his drawers he wrapped it around his waist and exited his room. The first thing he did was check to see where Hermione was. He wasn't about to have her see him in only a towel. _Good. She's reading. Again._ As soon as he was sure she wasn't looking in his direction he quickly walked to the door leading outside.

As soon as he walked into the wooden structure he was hit with a wave of warmth that instantly soothed him. Untying the towel from his waist he laid it down on the wooden bench to his right, spelled the room to add more steam and heat. Severus stretched, cracking his back, before he lay down on his towel. He let the steam relax his muscles and after only a few moments he was starting to become more at ease.

Living with Hermione was going to be interesting. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours in her company and he was already feeling worn out. Of course, he was still upset about her going through his journals; even if she did have a point about gaining pertinent information about his innocence. That argument was still going to happen and he was ready for it. There was no way he would let that fall to the ground without bringing it up. Yes, he was thankful for all that she had done but he was also expecting her to be courteous enough to maintain his privacy. _Was that too much to ask?,_ he mused to himself as he put his hands behind his head and gazed at the roof of the banya.

The tension behind his eyes had loosened and his bones were starting to feel like jelly; which was exactly what he wanted. He needed to feel completely relaxed and wash the last five years out of his system. Part of him would be happy to live the rest of his days out in Russia, but a gut feeling pulled him back to England. For the life of him he couldn't reason out why he needed to go back to England; but he wouldn't argue with his gut. It had brought him this far in life. _I'll think more on it later_, he thought lazily as he slowly closed his eyes.

The state of the wizarding world right now was hectic, to say the least. People had called for Death Eaters to be sentenced to death and ninety-five percent of the time they were. Few of his associates had survived and he could deal with that. They were all complete idiots and he knew it first hand. If Severus had never joined the Dark Lord, he certainly never would have "befriended" any of them.

Severus knew he was lucky to make it out of the war alive, but surviving a death sentence was something else completely. The only luck he had in his life was bad luck, but thankfully he was free. Never did he expect to gain his freedom. The wizarding community knew what kind of man he was and what deeds he had done under the Dark Lord and Severus was not anxious to get back into a society that hated him. Being ostracized at Hogwarts as a teenager was one thing, but to feel like that in society, in the country he was raised…well, it wasn't something he wanted to imagine. Severus wasn't a coward but he certainly wasn't anxious to walk along the streets of Diagon Alley.

He had just gotten to Russia to escape the wizarding world and he was going to enjoy it; for a little while at least. Thinking about how long he would stay there; he eventually started thinking that Hermione was going to be there as well. _Unless I run her out of the house and she Apparates herself back to England_. That thought didn't set well with him and he pushed it out of his mind and silently vowed to figure out why he was feeling the way he was.

The thing that kept him from complete relaxation was all the thoughts running in his mind. They were so random and varied he couldn't clear his mind. Of course he could Occlude his mind, but sometimes he liked to do it without the use of magic. _Chalk it up to being part Muggle_, he scoffed. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at himself. When he couldn't get the thoughts out of his mind he succumbed to using Occlumency.

_Ahhh_, he thought happily as he went completely limp. After about twenty minutes of complete nothingness he sat up slowly and started to put his towel around himself. Before he could cover himself completely the door opened and Hermione walked in. "Severus?" she asked, right before she saw him and got a slight view of him. His eyes widened and he quickly covered up. She yelped in shock and backed up, closing the door as fast as she could.

With the door closed he sat staring at the door trying to comprehend what had just happened. _She's probably back in the house by now_. He chuckled slightly at the thought and stood up securely tying his towel. Walking into the light outside, he was surprised, and speechless, to see Hermione still in the garden. Her back was facing him but he could easily see her fidgeting and looking around aimlessly.

Severus walked up to her, but couldn't think of a thing to say to her. Hermione looked away from him and asked, "Why is it still light out? It's after ten, but it looks like the afternoon." In an after thought she added, "You have a beautiful garden…"

Clearing his throat he knew he could at least answer the question about the daylight. "It's called The White Nights. Due to St. Petersburg being so far north, and the fact that it's the summer, it's light out all the time. Only in the wee hours of the morning does it start to darken up…a little."

They stood there a few minutes in awkward silence when it became clear to Severus that he was standing in the middle of his garden sweating, hair damp, with simply a towel to cover himself. He passed by her, brushing against her arm accidentally and muttered, "I was going to tend the gardens tomorrow."

Once he made it inside he went directly to the shower to hopefully avoid her as she came back inside the house. As he was washing himself, he kept an ear open for the sound of the door closing. Finally hearing it, he sighed in relief. She was back in the house and hopefully back in the living room. Now that he was in an area of the house where he knew she would absolutely avoid he thought about her seeing him. _Oh bollocks! She's seen me stark naked._ Severus wasn't very happy about that thought. Not one bit. He certainly didn't want his bits exposed to _her_…_No! This has to stop! This is ridiculous!_ He berated himself for thinking he _might_ have liked the idea of her seeing him naked.

It was preposterous. In his mind there was no reason for someone like Hermione to even give him a second glance. Drying his hair with his towel, he composed himself enough to walk back to his room. Thankfully, he made it back to his room without incident. Once he was dressed he decided he couldn't hole himself up in his room. Besides there was a book he remembered wanting to read and he was going to get it. A Gryffindor wasn't going to keep him from parts of _his_ house.

As he was searching for the book in the library, he heard Hermione ask him sheepishly. "Where exactly am I going to sleep?"

Forgetting the book, he turned to Hermione, who was curled up on the couch in the living room looking back at him. Walking to her, he pointed to the area of bookshelf directly in front of her. "There is a Murphy bed behind the bookshelf. Just press the left window frame and the wards will go up to prevent the books from falling. The bed will then unfold. I would suggest you get up from the couch because the end of the bed will rest on the couch."

Hermione practically jumped up when he told her the bed would set right where she was sitting. Severus motioned for her to touch the left window frame and she walked over to it. As she touched it, the bed folded out just like he said it would.

Severus had noticed she had changed into her nightwear. She was wearing short cotton shorts and a pink tiny vest. _Gods!_ He couldn't help but look her up and down. She certainly wasn't the person he remembered at Hogwarts. Severus couldn't help but stare at her ass in those tight little shorts. Swallowing uncomfortably he thought, _what a nice ass. Thank the Gods she isn't still a student_. His eyes widened again in shock at his thoughts. Her back was still to him and he quickly schooled his features back to neutrality. _This is going to be hell_.

"If that is all, I am going to sleep." He didn't wait for her to reply and simply walked away. Before he entered his room, he said over his shoulder, "You might want to conjure up an eye mask."

Back in his room, Severus pulled the black curtains over his window and lay down in his mahogany sleigh bed. The bed was welcoming and comfortable, but he had difficulty getting to sleep. He grabbed his eye mask and put it over his eyes but all he could think about was Hermione's ass. A moment longer and he was aroused. _Shit!_ _This is not happening_. But, it was and there wasn't much he could do about it. Never had he had so much trouble clearing his mind. _Damn it!_ His thoughts kept going further than he wanted them to go. The things he wanted to do to the young girl in his living room were not virtuous. Forcing himself to Occlude, he eventually succeeded and drifted to sleep.

Unfortunately, Severus didn't get much of an escape in his dreams. She was there, in those damned shorts taunting him. He tossed and turned throughout the night hardly getting any sleep. Severus saw every hour on his bedside table clock. Finally at six-thirty, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get up and do something. As he got out of bed, all thoughts of Hermione escaped him as he was hit with cold air. He threw on a black sweater and walked out of his room and headed straight for the kitchen.

Spelling the fire on, it roared to life and brought some heat to the small house. Taking a copper kettle down he filled it with water and hung it on a small hook over the fire. He stood in the kitchen and though he didn't want to, he gazed in Hermione's direction. She was sprawled out on the couch, her hair a wild mess around her head. The covers had fallen off of her and she was shivering slightly. His eyes travelled from her face and towards her breasts. They were erect from the cold air and he stared. _I'm like a ruddy schoolboy!_ That was the second time in twelve hours he had stared at the girl. He was a man so really it wasn't that out of place. Again the thoughts and images from his sleep invaded his mind and he hardened immediately. _Fuck!_ _This has got to stop. _Severus forced his eyes away from Hermione and focused on fixing his tea.

Tea cup in hand he walked to the library, grabbed the book he'd only relocated last night, and settled down to read. It was a lot harder to read a good book when he was hard and horny. _Things are definitely going to get interesting_.


	13. She Didn't Want To See That, Or Did She?

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Review please, it helps me get motivated to write…

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Chapter Thirteen

She Didn't Want To See That...Or Did She?

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_Oh my God! Oh MY GOD! OHMYGOD!!!_ Hermione had just shut the door of the banya and covered her eyes with shaking hands. She certainly wasn't expected to find a naked Severus in the cabin. How was she to know it was a steam room? She had walked down the pathway and stood in front of the house just looking around in a daze. _I just got a glimpse of my ex-professor…naked!_ It was slightly horrifying, only in the way it happened. If she had been prepared…_Prepared!? How could I have been prepared for that! Not that it wasn't good, but..._

Hermione hadn't realized _when_ Severus had walked up beside her, but she noticed and quickly looked away. She couldn't think of anything really to say to him, but the awkwardness was killing her so she blurted out the first thing she could think of. "Why is it still light out? It's after ten, but it looks like the afternoon." _Oh that was stupid!_ "You have a beautiful garden…" _Hermione! What is WRONG with you?_ Never had she felt so stupid. She couldn't even come up with a straight sentence. _How embarrassing!_

He cleared his throat and explained The White Nights and the positioning of St. Petersbutg. She only listened half-heartedly, but she got the gist nonetheless. Again, the awkward silence, but thankfully he walked past her. When his arm grazed her shoulder she stared after him and put her hand up to the spot he touched. It was like heat was radiating off that spot. _Gods, he looks nice in simply a towel_. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock. _Did I really just think that? No. Simply not. Stop Hermione. This is ridiculous. Absolutely. And I'm still standing outside. Perfect._

Taking a deep breath she steeled herself to walk back into the house. As she entered the back door she saw the bathroom door was closed and heard the water running. Walking quickly past the room she entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. Hermione needed to change but she really didn't want to see Severus walk out of the bathroom in only a towel, again. She set her glass in the sink and walked in the living room. There was no where for her to sleep and all she wanted was to fall asleep and not see Severus Snape for the rest of the night.

Hermione transfigured her clothing into pyjamas and settled into the couch. She just hoped Severus didn't take too long to get out of the shower. She was in desperate need of sleep. Hermione stared off in space for a few moments trying not to think of her ex-professor sexually. A door closing alerted her to the fact that she wasn't the only person in the room anymore. She tried not to look at him the moment he walked out of his room; she was trying to be inconspicuous. Hermione waited a few moments to let him have a few moments to himself before she asked him the question she really wanted an answer to.

Before too much time passed she turned around and asked him, "Where exactly am I going to sleep?"

She watched him as he carefully set down his book and approached her. Once he was directly in front of her, he explained about the bed behind the bookshelf. It was fascinating to her because she knew that there had to be an interesting charm to keep the books in place while the bed was down. _Maybe I can ask him about it later_, she thought as he told her about it.

Once he was done, she jumped up and explored the bookshelf to try to learn as much about it as she could. Even though she had been a part of the wizarding world for so long she found there was always more she could learn. Touching the left window frame the bed sprang down from the wall and fell neatly to the floor. It looked cosy and inviting and all she wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep.

"If that is all, I am going to sleep," she heard him say and quickly leave. Hermione didn't even look back all she thought about was sleeping. She slipped into the bed and under the warm covers. Sighing in content she fluffed her pillow and transfigured a sock into an eye mask. Slipping it over her eyes it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

Though she fell into morpheus' arms land quickly, her dreams weren't perfect. For a while, her dreams were repeats of her walking in on Severus and getting glimpses of him. Eventually, the dreams started to get longer in length, and instead of running from the banya she walked into it and up to him. Of course, she had woken up several times in shock of her dreams. When she went back to sleep, her dream would start all over again. Eventually she found herself face to face with Severus, who was covered with only his towel. His hands were clenched together, holding the towel securely at his waist.

Boldly, she cupped his cheek and then ran her hand through his lank hair. She pulled his head closer to hers and she kissed him. A second later, he was responding and she moved closer to him. Severus' hands moved from the towel and wrapped around her, pulling her against his hard body. Her hands fell from his hair and down towards his towel. Just as she pulled the towel away and looked down, she woke up. It happened three times and each time she woke up sweating and breathing hard. Her dreams were so realistic and as much as she wanted to fight her feelings, part of her wanted to walk in his room and strip him naked.

Finally, she was able to get a modicum of sleep. She woke up later feeling exhausted and absolutely freezing. Pulling the blankets over her head she shivered and curled in a ball for a little warmth. _Great, I'm not going to be able to sleep anymore_, she thought as she threw the blanket off and sat up. Hermione yawned and stretched until she felt better. She shivered again and transfigured a sweatshirt to pull on.

Once she stood, up she turned around and found Severus reading in the library. He was sitting there engrossed in his book and the image of him in the banya flashed into her mind. _AGH! Stop!_ Hermione made herself stop thinking of him like that and busied herself with making the bed. She pushed the bed up back into place and went into the kitchen. The smell of fresh bread drew her to the table by the fireplace. A loaf of freshly cooked bread was sliced thickly and pieces of salmon were in a bowl beside it.

"Help yourself," she heard Severus say in his deep voice.

"Thank you," Hermione replied loud enough for him to hear.

Hermione fixed two slices of bread topped with salmon and filled a cup full of hot tea. _Mmmm, this is good. Who knew he was such a good cook; granted he didn't really have to cook much. But still_…Her random thoughts continued during her breakfast. _I can't believe I'm in Russia._ Hermione wanted to explore and hoped to do some in the afternoon. _Maybe I can convince Severus to show me around_.

When she had gone to clean her plate, Severus stood and entered the door beside his bedroom. Hermione had not ventured into this room and she wanted to know what was in there. Thankfully the door had been left open and she walked into the library to pretend to look for a book while she glanced into the room. To her surprise it was a potions laboratory and Severus was in there using his wand to clean the room.

He looked up as she was watching him and raised an eyebrow in question. "Sorry," she said quickly before turning back to the bookshelf. However, it wasn't as easy as that because Severus walked to the door and said, "Yes, well I am not surprised. Your curiosity took over and you just _had_ to see what I was doing. Just like you _had _to look at my journals."

Hermione gasped as she turned her head to him, her jaw dropping in shock. "What!?"

"I assure you, I did not stutter," he said leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms.

"I have already told you I looked because I needed information to help **you**, you overgrown child! I swear you're almost worse than Harry is, you stubborn old fool!"

Severus narrowed his eyes and glared at her before adding, "A stubborn old fool who values his **privacy**!" With that he turned on his heel and entered the lab, slamming the door as hard as he could.

"The nerve…" Hermione said to herself. _No! This has got to stop!_ Making a decision to settle this argument now, she walked into the lab and opened the door. Severus had been setting up a cauldron and looked up suddenly as she walked in.

"Listen here Severus; I have told you time and again I only looked to help you. The information I did find helped you to get out of Azkaban. If I didn't know about the potion to kill Voldemort you would still be there!"

"DO NOT say his name!" he yelled.

"IT'S JUST A NAME! HE'S **DEAD**!"

"I don't care!"

"Gods! You are being ridiculous. It's not as if I went through every single journal of yours just to see what you had done your whole life. I only looked at the most recent ones to look for clues! It's as if you think I would steal your ideas. Yes! That's it! You thought I would take your research and do my own experiments and take the credit. Oh that is a new low, even for you!"

"How dare you!"

"How dare I?" she interrupted. "How dare _you_ think I would do something as horrendous as that?! I would _never_ steal research." She had stopped yelling and sat down on the table closest to her with her head down. "Your work is amazing, by the way. For the Cruciatus Relief potion I think you could add lavender to step four and improve efficacy."

When Severus didn't respond she stood up from the table and started to walk away. "You might be right about the lavender," Severus said quietly.

Hermione turned around to see him pull out a jar of filed with dry lavender leaves. "You are more than welcome to assist me," he said without looking up. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. _Well, it certainly isn't an acceptable apology, but I suppose it will have to do_.

They worked silently until the fourth step where she prepared the ingredients and weighed the appropriate amount, or at least she thought. They discussed the properties of the lavender and decided on three ounces. Hermione had accidentally brushed her hand against his as she passed him the leaves. It was the same feeling she felt when he brushed by her yesterday but a bit more intense.

_What is happening_? Hermione had never felt like this before, especially not with Ron. She did enjoy their discussion over the potion and her possible solution to his problem with efficacy. Hermione had always wanted to be able to have an intelligent conversation with Ron, but, that was like asking him to chew with his mouth closed. Impossible. Talking with Severus had been a welcomed change; it was even better now that he wasn't berating her.

They worked into the early evening with small breaks, but eventually Severus' stomach grumbled loudly filling the quiet room and breaking the silence. Hermione chuckled and looked up to see Severus looking at her sternly. "How about we take a break and grab something to eat?" Severus looked like he was about to object, but she continued before he could voice his opinion. "Since you have been doing all the cooking, why don't we go out to eat? My treat," she said with a smile.

Severus finished stirring the potion without answering her question. Once he was done, he sighed and looked at her. "Very well; the potion needs to set for twenty-four hours anyways. Get ready and we will take our leave."

Jokingly she said, "It's not like I have much to _change_ into."

"I suppose you don't. If you like I can call my neighbour to see if she has any of her granddaughter's clothes."

"No, you don't have to…" Hermione tried to argue, but it didn't work. Severus had already left the lab and was heading to the back door. She watched him through the window of lab, as he walked outside and started talking to a little old lady over his fence. She lived in the pink house and Hermione could tell they knew each other quite well. A few times, the old lady had pinched his cheek and doted on him as if he were her long lost son. It was an odd sight, for sure, and Hermione covered up a giggle placing her hand over her mouth.

Hermione could only hear mumbled sounds through the glass, but it seemed like Severus was getting what he wanted. The old lady walked quickly back into her house and moments later she was walking out with her arms full of clothes. She handed them over the fence to Severus and he thanked her as he started to walk away.

Hermione drew away from the window so he wouldn't think she was spying on him. She met him in the open space between the library and the kitchen. He transferred the clothes to her and said, "Good luck," before he turned around and went into the bathroom.

"Gee, thanks," she grumbled as she tried not to drop a single article of clothing. The clothing was stacked so high and in a jumbled mess she could hardly see. Falling clothes first onto the couch she sighed in relief before standing back up to pick through the clothing.

It took her no time at all to pick out a nice, plain dress. She noted that Severus had vacated the bathroom and headed in that direction to change. The dress fit perfectly, coming to her mid thigh. _Maybe I can keep it_, she thought as she looked herself over in the mirror. Before she could enjoy much more of it, there were three hard knocks on the door, followed by Severus's baritone voice, "What could take you so long woman! I'm hungry and we have a bus to catch."

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she exited the bathroom. Severus had changed into a pair of black slacks and a green long sleeve shirt. It was strange to see him in any colour other than black, well any dark colour actually. "You look nice in colour," she said to him as he was walking to the door.

Severus turned around and looked at her with a wrinkled brow in confusion. Looking down he shook his head in acknowledgement. "Yes, well, I suppose I can jump out of the monochromatic world and into the real world now." He looked her up and down quickly, and if she hadn't been staring at his eyes, she wouldn't have noticed. "You look quite nice."

"Thank you," she replied as she walked toward the door, which he opened just in time so she didn't have to slow her pace. She was joined by him at the bottom of the steps once he had locked the door and they made their way to the bus stop.

They arrived at the Metro after a short walk and caught the red line to Ploschad Muzhestva. Hermione was glad to have Severus around because the only thing she could decipher was the colours. They hopped on a bus to get to another Metro station, Lesnaya station. They took the Metro to Vladmirskaya to switch to the yellow line's Dosteyevskaya station. The yellow line took them to their final destination of Sadovaya and Hermione was glad to be done with the transportation system.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked as she looked around at their surroundings.

"This is Teatralnaya Square. Over there is the famous Mariinsky Theatre," he said as he pointed to a huge green and white building. The rest of what he said was drowned out because she was mesmerized by the site. The windows and framework were all in white and the rest was covered in a light green. The building was immense and she could not imagine what the inside looked like.

She was brought out of her reverie by Severus clearing his throat. He had a smirk on his lips before he suggested, "Let's see if a show is playing tonight and then we can eat."

Hermione nodded her head and continued to look around, still captivated by the site of the theatre. Once they were close enough to read the signs, well look at them in Hermione's case, Severus gasped in shock. "Luck has shined upon us, Hermione. Tonight is the final night for Modest Mussorgsky's _Khovanshchina_. It is hardly ever done because of the cost of the costumes, set, and sheer number of cast needed. If we can get tickets, we will have to go." Again, Severus didn't wait for Hermione's response and headed to the ticket booth to purchase two tickets.

Hermione had decided to sit on a bench by the tulips opposite the theatre to wait for Severus. When he arrived he was almost smiling; the corners of his lips had turned up slightly. "So.." she trailed off in anticipation.

"I was able to procure two tickets on the balcony, centre stage. Fantastic seats," Severus said lightly. "Shall we eat?"


	14. Internal Debates

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

Alright, one more chapter, which I will be posting as soon as I get it beta'd; probably within the next few minutes. Let me know what you think, it would be a nice birthday present to see a bunch of reviews in my inbox.

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Chapter Fourteen

Internal Debates

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Severus had enjoyed dinner with Hermione. He was rather surprised at that conclusion. Their talk never seemed to linger for long and there were no gaps of awkward silence; they were perfectly fine being around each other without having to chat constantly.

As they walked back to the theatre Hermione tucked her hand in his arm. Severus stiffened up at the unexpected contact, but took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles; hoping what he did wasn't too obvious. If she knew, she didn't let on. His heart beat sped up as he looked down at her; again, realizing how she wasn't the student he remembered. _Thank the Gods_.

He was starting to fall even farther for Hermione Granger and he felt dirty about it. She was young and beautiful and he was old and ugly. Severus knew he would never be able to make the first move; he could only imagine what other people would think if they were to actually get together. _Perhaps I can influence her to make the first move. Hmph, that's stupid; I'm acting like a Seventh Year. Get her to make the first move. How ignorant. No, I will simply have to 'woo' her._ The thought of wooing her made him shudder inside. Severus Snape simply didn't woo.

His thoughts of Hermione were overridden when they arrived at the theatre. As soon as they arrived Hermione bombarded him with excited questions. He tried to answer them all, but it was a bit difficult to keep up with her. The corners of his lips turned up as he saw the excited look in her eyes as she looked all around the theatre, soaking it all in. He practically had to pull her back into her seat when the lights dimmed.

A cool crisp evening greeted them as they exited the theatre. Hermione had shivered slightly at the unexpected breeze. Severus held out his arm and she tucked her hand into his elbow and leaned closer to draw in some of his body heat.

"The opera was fantastic. Thank you for taking me," Hermione said as they walked along the square.

"You're welcome," he replied simply. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. It has been one of my favourites for quite some time."

They continued to walk around and discuss the opera. During lapses in conversation, Severus would tell her about the area, the history of a particular building, or silly insignificant things. They took the bus and metro lines back home where they continued to enjoy a peaceful walk home.

"Madam," he said as he let her first into the house, holding the door open.

"Thank you," she said looking down at her feet shyly as she walked inside.

Severus had checked Hermione out as he followed her inside and couldn't help but think how she would be in bed. _Stop_, he said to himself angrily. He needed a drink and he needed it now. Walking to the wine cabinet he pulled out a bottle of Merlot and poured himself a good sized portion. Swirling it around in his glass and smelling it, he took a long drink from it sighing as he finished swallowing.

Hermione had gone to the bathroom to change and emerged dressed in the same nightwear from the previous night. _Great_, he thought as she neared him. Severus was about to pass her the bottle of wine, thinking that was what she wanted; instead she placed her hand on his arms, stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she lowered herself.

He turned to look at her face, in disbelief. "You're welcome," he said a bit unevenly. She smiled wryly and walked to the living room to pull down the Murphy bed. Severus wanted nothing more than to go over there, pick her up and throw her into his bed to have his merry way with her. Even his hardening cock wanted it. _Think with your brain, not your cock, Severus!_ He had to say it a few times for it to make sense. He couldn't do it; she would have to be the one to initiate things. It was going to be difficult but he would make it. _I have my honour, if nothing else. I will not have people thinking I'm a cradle robber._ _Well, I suppose that even if she makes the first move, people will still think it. When have I ever cared what people thought anyways? This is ridiculous. _He was still standing in the kitchen having a conversation with himself when he poured the rest of the wine out and walked quickly into his room.

Again, he had a sleepless night. Hermione invaded his dreams and each time he woke up hard as a rock. After the third time he couldn't take it anymore. He needed relief and if he couldn't get his release from her, he would have to take matters into his own hands. Literally. "Fuck," he said quietly as he started to stroke himself. Images of her filled his head and it didn't take long for him to come.

Once he was finished, he _Scourified_ himself and stared up at the ceiling, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion and boredom.

XXX

Hermione had about as much trouble falling asleep as Severus. All she could think about was him and her feelings toward him. He intrigued her that was for sure. _So, apparently all the work to get him to make the first move didn't work. I mean seriously, I knew he was checking me out in my shorts, swayed my hips A LOT right before I kissed him, aaaand I bent over more than necessary when I got into bed. What does he want; an open invitation? Men are so dense; he's just as bad as Ron! I suppose I shouldn't have figured he would read the signs and act. _

She fumed for a few more minutes before she started to think a little bit more rationally. _Well, maybe he just doesn't want to seem like he's pressuring me. OR, maybe he doesn't like the idea of what people will say. As if he cares what people think of him, right? I mean he didn't care what we said about him at school. But, that's just school, not adult opinions. _

The blankets were strangling her and she pushed them off of her in frustration. _He's a lot older, yes, but that doesn't matter. Not in the wizarding world at least. Doesn't he realize that? Perhaps that doesn't matter to him. So many or's or what if's surrounding this man. He's a Slytherin so that's where the mystery comes from, I suppose. He's been through so much already why would he want to jump into a relationship with a goody to-shoes Gryffindor? _

_It's not as if I have been subtle with my hints. I mean really, why would I kiss him goodnight if there wasn't something there. He has to know I'm interested. He has to be interested; I mean he held my hand in his arm as we walked around tonight. Oh, Gods, he's not gay is he? Have I been hitting on a gay man????? NO, NO, ok, ok, ok, no. He's not gay, he's just scared. There we go. That's it. He's scared. Severus Snape is scared of relationships. _

That made sense to her. She had never seen him with anyone and while he was in Azkaban, no one visited him other than her, Minerva, and Narcissa. _If anyone would know, it would be Narcissa. I could ask her. Ha! Yeah, that would go over great. So Narcissa does Severus have any hidden relationships? Because I'm kind of interested in him…Oh that would go over great. I know what that would earn me. A Slytherin sneer. I'm sure she would tell Draco, too._

Hermione stopped herself when she realized she was going a bit overboard. She got out of bed and did some yoga to help her relax. As silently as she could, she walked into the library and sat in the leather chair. A whiff of air assaulted her nose and she breathed in his scent. _Logic, Hermione. Let's rely on logic before we start to act loony. There is no possible way I'm going to talk to Narcissa, so that takes care of that. And if that ferret ever jokes about this I will do more to him than punch him in the nose. Ok…caaaaaaaalm. I suppose if I want this to go anywhere I'm going to have to make the first move. He's made that pretty clear. How, exactly do I do that? Should I do the whole Gryffindor bravery thing or go with subtle Slytherin tactics. Hmmm. _

She thought for a few minutes coming with nothing; eventually she rested her chin on her fist and stared at the books on the shelves._ Alright, well I think that I shouldn't sacrifice who I am to get what I want. He would see right through me anyways. I'm too brass for anything too subtle. Well, it's not like I can just plan this out; I will just have to go with the flow and make my move when the opportunity arises. Right. Good plan. Go to bed._

As she was getting ready to stand up she was frozen in a stoop when she heard a moan following by "Hermione" coming from Severus' room. She stood and smirked. _So, he has noticed. Good._ With that thought she slipped into bed and into dreamland.

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Severus woke up mid-morning to the smell of freshly brewed tea and eggs. He threw on a shirt and went to relieve himself in the bathroom. Walking into the kitchen he was greeted with the site of Hermione's ass in those little shorts. _Shit_. _Just what I need first thing in the morning_.

Hermione turned around and saw where his gaze was. He recovered quickly and turned his dark eyes onto her face. She smiled and brought him a cup of tea. "I made you some tea," she said brightly before turning her attention back to the eggs.

After he took a long sip he replied with a "thank you."

Keeping her back to him she said, "An owl arrived with a post for you. It's on your desk. He just kind of wriggled it off his leg and took off."

"Hmm," he said as he walked over to his desk. _It must be from Narcissa_, he thought as he gazed at the rolled up parchment. _Only Osten would be able to shake off a post. Little shit of an owl always pruning his feathers and making sure they are perfectly in place. The perfect pet for Narcissa._ He sneered at the thought of that pompous owl primping his feathers before flying off.

Ripping through the wax seal he unrolled the parchment and began to read:

_Severus, _

_I do hope you are having a jolly time wherever you are. I suppose that young Gryffindor girl is keeping you plenty entertained. Well enough so that you can't even let your dear friend of over twenty years know where you are. _

_Onto other news. Draco and I are doing quite well, since I know you are wondering. The public, of course, has mixed feelings about our status, but when has that ever been abnormal. Of course, we were welcomed back into high society with open arms; though a few less than usual as you are aware. I believe I will enjoy watching all the lower class citizens who serve me sneer behind my back while they act insincerely friendly to my face. Not much of a change than before either, but for some reason it's entertaining nonetheless. _

_Unfortunately, the Ministry decided to take some of our assets as payment for the mayhem Lucius caused in our world. Honestly, it's as if living with him wasn't punishment enough, they have to take our most precious items! I won't bore you with the details as you would most likely just ignore the list of articles those blasted people took. _

_Your name has been in the papers. The press is still undecided on whether to label you a hero or a turncoat. Mostly, what is written about you is fodder. The whole world knows that; especially after your trial. No, your name mostly fills the gossip column. Theories about your whereabouts, whether or not you will be returning to Hogwarts to teach, and my personal favourite, your ongoing affair with a certain female Gryffindor. I jest about that last one, though it does give me a right good chuckle. _

_Though I do wonder if it far from the truth. You are very secretive Severus and I thought we were friends enough to confide in each other. I have no problems upholding that end of our friendship that is for sure. You on the other hand, are not doing so well in that department. _

_Undoubtedly, you are rolling your eyes at this letter, so I will end it here. Do keep in touch._

_Narcissa_

Severus was indeed rolling his eyes at his friend's letter. Narcissa certainly didn't mind speaking candidly with him. It was a surprise to him that the public didn't worry too much about his persona. How his name got dragged into the gossip column was beyond him; but he wasn't going to question it. So long as he wasn't considered a murderer, he would be fine. The fact that he was secondary news was even better for him.

Placing the parchment in his desk drawer he went to the library to start developing some methods for a new potion's idea he had floating around his mind. His research led him well into the evening and he eventually got weary of his chair. He had been so focused on his research he completely forgot about Hermione. After he stretched his back he found her on the couch looking at him. "Find what you were looking for?" she asked him.

"Yes," he answered with a tired voice as he sat down gracefully beside her.

"What were you researching?"

"Just trying to get my ideas organized to see if they are possible, no solid theories yet."

"Ah, well at least you have a start."

"Indeed."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Hermione looked at Severus and drew his attention toward her by touching his arm. He looked down at her in question when she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Severus was surprised at the situation he currently found himself him. Hermione was kissing him and before he knew it, he was kissing her back with equal force.

After a few moments, he deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms snaked around her waist. They were lost in each other before they desperately needed to pull back for air. As he pulled back, he opened his eyes and stared in wonder at Hermione.


	15. Content

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own it. It's all for fun.

Mak is of course my beta; who is amazing.

The last chapter; let me know what you think by giving one last review. I might be up for a sequel if there is enough interest. Again, I need your feedback. Check out my other stories as well. Thanks.

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Chapter Fifteen

Content

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"Hermione…" he began not really knowing where to actually start. He wanted this, but if she wasn't sure, then they would go no further. It would kill him if she didn't want him. _She has to want this, she started it_.

"Mmhmm…" she said as she cupped his cheek with his hand and gazed into his eyes.

"Are you sure you want this; me?" he asked doubtfully.

Hermione smiled softly up to Severus before answering. "Of course, I do."

"Why?"

Hermione chuckled as she shook her head in disbelief. "What will it take for you to realize I want you?"

"More than you think," he replied seriously.

"Severus, if it hadn't been for Dumbledore sending me to help you, then I wouldn't know the little bit of you that I do. I'm thankful for the fact that he sent me on this journey. I want to know more about you and what I do know about you now; is just intriguing."

A dark expression passed over Severus' face and Hermione figured he was thinking that she only wanted to see what he was like. "We have great conversations when we aren't arguing don't we?"

"Yes."

"That is what I've wanted my whole life. Someone I could talk to about anything; from something as trivial as the colour of the grass to something as significant as potions research. Never before have I met someone I respect so much and who can challenge my mind."

Severus sat there in a stupor for a minute taking in her words before he looked back at her. "Good," was all that he could conjure to say.

That sent Hermione into a hearty laugh which made Severus smile. "You have a nice smile. You should do that more often."

"We'll see," he joked with her. It was something he hadn't done in so long, but it felt right with her. They kissed again before his insecurity arose again. "Are you…"

"Oh, shut up," she said as she pulled his head down into another kiss.

Hermione and Severus spent the next couple of days getting closer to one another. They spent their days reading, sharing research ideas, and meeting the little old lady in the pink house. Vika Bankova was a small lady with pure white hair. She spoke no English and Severus had to interpret for Hermione. Vika loved Hermione from the moment she laid eyes on her.

The bone crushing hug Vika gave Hermione was shocking and she had to take several deep breaths to regain control of her breathing. The three had been sitting at the table drinking tea when Vika said something to Severus in Russian, causing him to spit some of his tea out and turn beet red in the face. Hermione asked him what she had said and he blew it off as some off colour Russian joke.

Hermione didn't really believe him, but she would get it out of him eventually. Whatever it was definitely caught him off guard and embarrassed him. _That hardly happens. I have to know now_. Vika had fixed them dinner and gave Hermione a lesson in cooking Russian meals. It was definitely enjoyable and Hermione really loved getting to know her.

Once they were back in Severus' home, he fell onto the couch in exhaustion. "Did a little old lady tire you out?" Hermione joked.

He turned his head lazily to her and looked at her through hooded eyes. "She loves to talk about _everything_. It gets quite tiring translating about how her granddaughter did this and that and everything in between. If you had to hear everything she said, we wouldn't have left until tomorrow morning."

"What did she say to you that made you blush so horribly?"

"I don't think you want to know," he said with a tired voice.

"I do, so, tell me," Hermione said seriously as she laid her head on his shoulder. She noticed he clenched his hands together and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Very well. Let me start off by first saying that Vika is more of a mother to me than my own was. She thinks of me as a son, and therefore I receive 'motherly' advice from her, whether I want it or not."

He paused for a moment and Hermione prodded him along, "Mhmm."

"In a nutshell, she asked when I was going to get married and give her grandchildren."

Hermione started laughing. The thought of Vika telling him to give her grandchildren; oh how she wished she knew Russian. Severus was watching her seriously before he added, "She was insinuating you as well."

She stopped laughing and stared at him for a minute to see if he was joking. He wasn't. She started laughing again, throwing her arms around his neck and giggling into his shoulder.

Severus couldn't see what was so funny about the situation. Vika had practically asked when he was going to marry Hermione and give her grandchildren. It was something he really hadn't given much thought to; other than the fact that he did want to be with Hermione. Never in his thoughts had he contemplated marriage, or children. It was rather disturbing to him. Children, _his_ children; no, his possible _children_ with Hermione. Now that was even more vexing.

But, the inevitable happened and he started to think what their children would look like. What kind of people they would turn into. Would they be smart? Funny? Or have his nose? He certainly hoped not. If that was one gene he could get rid of, that would be it. His musings were interrupted by Hermione who said, "She has good intentions."

"Indeed," was his only reply before he delved back into his thoughts. _What would our children look like? This is folly. Damn you Vika for putting these thoughts in my head. Our children. Hell, we aren't even married. Shit! Married?! Preposterous. Hermione wants me now, but once she figures out who I really am, she won't want me._

His self deprecating thoughts continued until he practically made himself depressed. He didn't even realize Hermione was holding his hand, talking to him. All he was conscious of were his thoughts. Nothing was getting through to him and he eventually stood up without a word and went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Hermione didn't know what happened to get him in that kind of mood, but it disheartened her that he looked so sad. Did the thought of them having children scare him? Why was he thinking about that now? They had just accepted each other. As confident as he seemed he had some serious self-confidence issues.

She couldn't just let Severus lie in his room and get himself even more depressed than he already looked. Walking to his room, she steeled herself before she silently opened the door. Looking at him, she found he was asleep on his back with his hands behind his head. Even in his sleep, he looked uneasy; worry lines creased his forehead and he had a small frown on his lips. She lightly touched his forehead and tried to ease the lines away. After a few minutes, she was successful and smiled as he looked a little more relaxed. Whatever had been on his mind had troubled him deeply. She sat on the bed as gently as she could; trying not to disturb him. Hermione kissed his cheek and then his lips. When he didn't respond she laid her head on his chest and put her arm around his chest. "Don't do this to yourself, Severus," she said quietly.

Unexpectedly, she felt a rumble in his chest and heard him say softly, "Why?"

"Because you deserve to be happy," Hermione replied as she squeezed him.

"Hmph."

"Why don't you think you deserve happiness?" she questioned him.

A long sigh escaped him. Severus never felt like he deserved to be happy. He had killed his mentor along with a host of other equally horrible deeds. Nothing he had done in life had been right. His years as a spy for the Order, in his mind, did not make up for what he had done in his life. Nothing could make up for it. "I have done some terrible things in my life, Hermione."

Hermione turned over, so she was facing Severus. "You have done plenty to make up for anything you are not proud of. You were a spy for the Order; you were forced to do something you desperately fought against. I know that the Headmaster asked you to do the impossible, and you did it. You were a hero in his eyes and you're a hero to me."

He stared into her eyes, looking to see any deceit, and found none. "I'm your hero?" he questioned with a smirk. Just having her here with him seemed to drag him out of his self-induced misery.

"Of course," Hermione answered with a smile as she kissed his nose.

He made a sour face as she leaned back from the kiss. "Your friends must be worried about you by now."

"They are big boys, I have faith they will be alright without me for a while."

"You give them far to much credit," Severus said with a playful sneer.

"They aren't that bad you know," she replied. "I know you still think of them as the annoying little boys you taught. I will have you know they have matured to annoying men."

"Again, you give them too much credit. Have you given any thought to what they will think of us?"

Hermione cocked her head to the side before she shook her head, "It doesn't matter what they think. Besides, if they are my best friends, they will support me. If they don't I'll hex their balls off."

"I think you should do that anyways. Neither of them needs to procreate."

Hermione laughed and laid her head on his chest.

"Eventually, you are going to have to return to Britain," Severus said warily.

"Not without you," she said firmly.

Severus smiled as he stared at the ceiling. Hermione had saved him from Azkaban and she was determined to save him from himself. He was thankful for small miracles and brave Gryffindors. If he could keep Hermione with him, then he felt he could be happy. A feeling of relief flooded his body and he wrapped his arms around Hermione. He could live the rest of his life like this; and he promised himself that he would try his hardest to keep what he had with Hermione.


End file.
